Lexington Herald Leader Endorsement: Chandler.
Keep Chandler in House
Aided by recent Democratic control of the U.S. House, Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, is finding his voice and exercising more clout in Washington during his second term.
The former state auditor and attorney general has established himself as a fiscally conservative lawmaker concerned about the environment, those in need and the future of the 6th District. He has earned another term in office.
Republican challenger Jon Larson, a Lexington lawyer, has reasonable stands on the issues and a strong passion to serve. After running for several elective offices in recent years, he has gained some momentum, but not enough traction to qualify as a serious threat to Chandler.
In the last two years, Chandler has taken a couple of positions that enabled him to stand out: his support for Barack Obama during Kentucky's Democratic primary, won by Hillary Clinton; his call for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq after a bipartisan fact-finding trip there; and his refusal to support the bipartisan financial rescue legislation.
While his vote against the bailout earned him a lot of popular support, it was disappointing that he had little role in crafting a solution, especially since his caucus of conservative Democrats was instrumental in pushing for more oversight and restrictions.
Chandler has been responsive to his district, bringing a top environmental decision maker to view the consequences of strip mining, pushing for Federal Aviation Administration reforms after the crash of Flight 5191 and working with Sen. Mitch McConnell to push for the elimination of nerve gas stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
Chandler successfully pushed legislation to set aside money to build energy-efficient schools and has helped channel federal funds to Lexington redevelopment efforts.
His biggest misstep while in office was his decision to accept a $29,000 trip to Australia paid by that country's government. He has never taken a privately financed trip again, according to government watchdog groups.
Also disappointing was his refusal to participate in the KET debate with his challenger last month. It leaves the impression, unfair we suspect, that he sees accounting for himself as unnecessary.
As it stands, Chandler is serving the 6th District well. He deserves a third term.
Aided by recent Democratic control of the U.S. House, Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, is finding his voice and exercising more clout in Washington during his second term.
The former state auditor and attorney general has established himself as a fiscally conservative lawmaker concerned about the environment, those in need and the future of the 6th District. He has earned another term in office.
Republican challenger Jon Larson, a Lexington lawyer, has reasonable stands on the issues and a strong passion to serve. After running for several elective offices in recent years, he has gained some momentum, but not enough traction to qualify as a serious threat to Chandler.
In the last two years, Chandler has taken a couple of positions that enabled him to stand out: his support for Barack Obama during Kentucky's Democratic primary, won by Hillary Clinton; his call for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq after a bipartisan fact-finding trip there; and his refusal to support the bipartisan financial rescue legislation.
While his vote against the bailout earned him a lot of popular support, it was disappointing that he had little role in crafting a solution, especially since his caucus of conservative Democrats was instrumental in pushing for more oversight and restrictions.
Chandler has been responsive to his district, bringing a top environmental decision maker to view the consequences of strip mining, pushing for Federal Aviation Administration reforms after the crash of Flight 5191 and working with Sen. Mitch McConnell to push for the elimination of nerve gas stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
Chandler successfully pushed legislation to set aside money to build energy-efficient schools and has helped channel federal funds to Lexington redevelopment efforts.
His biggest misstep while in office was his decision to accept a $29,000 trip to Australia paid by that country's government. He has never taken a privately financed trip again, according to government watchdog groups.
Also disappointing was his refusal to participate in the KET debate with his challenger last month. It leaves the impression, unfair we suspect, that he sees accounting for himself as unnecessary.
As it stands, Chandler is serving the 6th District well. He deserves a third term.
Labels: Endorsement
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 1:27 PM
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