31 responses so far ↓

• 1 Sally // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:01 pm

  Looks like the Democrat won.

• 2 DemGirl // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:07 pm

  WE WON!!!!!!!

• 3 Steve // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:07 pm

  According to the Board of Elections site, only 20 percent of the votes are in:

  Hughes (R) 6,858
  Reynolds (D) 8,283

• 4 anon // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:09 pm

  read it again Steve, TURNOUT is 20%, all results are in.

• 5 Steve // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:11 pm

  I sit corrected — gleefully. Thanks for the clarification. And congrats to Mike Reynolds et al!!!

• 6 Ric Flair // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:11 pm

  Woo!

  Somebody go lock up Tim Morris for the 2010 Senate races now– he built the field organization for this race, and it just CRUSHED a heavy favorite. Rock. The. Fuck. On.

• 7 Steamer // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:12 pm

  The people in B.G. just knew Hughes too well. He’s a known to be a rascal! No amount of advertising was going to change that; and no I’m not talking about his time with the Fletcher administration. His reputation in the area goes back much farther than that.

• 8 Jeff Noble // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:14 pm

  No Steve, only 20% voted.

  I was one of those who felt the Democrats couldn’t win this seat. I’m glad to have been proven wrong. A few weeks ago at a seminar I spoke at in Shelby County (along with Chad Aull), I said the one time you can actually steal a race is in a Special Election. I honestly never thought it applied to the 32nd Senate.

  Lisa and I talked on the phone about this over the weekend and she told me she was going down there to help with GOTV. Good work Lisa. I spent part of the day today lobbying here and there on Lisa’s behalf.

  Having said that, I’ve sent a congratulatory email to the current Chair saying it was a nice way to go out.

• 9 jake // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:19 pm

  Jeff: Jennifer Moore had nothing to do with this race. Nothing.

  Steamer: That’s not really true. Most canvassers I spoke with said Hughes was way, way too popular despite the obvious corruption in his past.

• 10 Lisa Tanner // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:21 pm

  All of the work credit goes to all of the young people down in Bowling Green. Due to car issues I didn’t make the trip but made calls from home today instead. Ryan Clouse worked very hard on this race and I also heard the Dems from Warren County rocked it out this weekend making just short of 5000 calls!
  What a great win to celebrate for all of the Dems down in that part of the state. Way to go!

• 11 Bruce Maples // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:32 pm

  I swear, if the KDP doesn’t hire Lisa Tanner as full-time executive director, I’m going to start a third party and hire her myself.

• 12 Jeff Noble // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:35 pm

  Jacob –

  Don’t worry – Jennifer never reads my emails anymore anyway. We’re all just part of one big dysfunctional family – what need is there to communicate?

  JN

• 13 Steamer // Feb 10, 2009 at 10:01 pm

  Jake, I grew up in Bowling Green. I remember races Hughes ran years ago. He has been pissing people off down there for a long time. They may not be vocal about it but they have long memories.

• 14 jake // Feb 10, 2009 at 10:52 pm

  To the asshat who continues to leave comments (or tries to) anonymously: Say it to my face, buddy, with our cameras rolling.

  Fucking shit-for-brains bigot.

• 15 HappyDem // Feb 10, 2009 at 11:44 pm

  As someone who spent so much time working on the campaign I was very pleased with the results tonight. It was great to see a month of hard work pay off. I’m sure we can’t say thank you to all the people who also spent time on the campaign by volunteering. It was good to prove Jake wrong :)

  But seriously folks… let’s give credit to where credit is due… J. Marshall Hughes for being such a terrible candidate.

  As far as the field work goes… well… let’s just thank JMH for being such an awful candidate. The Dems really lucked out there.

• 16 Kyle Springer // Feb 11, 2009 at 12:10 am

  Yes, credit goes to those I worked along side. Tim and Tim Morris Ryan Clouse and Keshia Shockley. I was honored to work with these amazing young people. If KY is smart, these people will be involved in politics. Let me give you a message KY, were here, were young, and damnit… Were FIRED UP TO CHANGE THIS PLACE!!!!!

• 17 Keshia Shockley // Feb 11, 2009 at 1:47 am

  You’re forgetting about Kyle Gott. He and Tim Morris were the masterminds behind the entire campaign – without them, there’s no way we could have won. It was their field strategy that made all the difference. Interning for this campaign was one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had, made all the better by the amazing people I was fortunate enough to meet along the way. As we watched the results trickle in, there was an indescribable feeling between those of us who knew enough about the precincts to realize we were winning in places we hadn’t expected to… a feeling only topped by realizing there was no way we were going to lose. It was just an incredible night.

  Also, Kyle Gott deserves double kudos. He’s spent the last month managing two campaigns (Reynolds’ in KY and Ilryong Moon’s in VA). Tonight, both candidates won their races. That’s an incredible testament to the ability and dedication of Kyle and those in the respective field campaigns.

• 18 Joe G. // Feb 11, 2009 at 6:45 am

  Jake, I wouldn’t say he had zero name i.d., his dad was an elected judge there twice, and a Kentucky Supreme Court Justice once… So it’s not like his name i.d. was that bad.

  That said, I’m just as surprised about this win, especially after the KDP pulled out.

• 19 jake // Feb 11, 2009 at 7:08 am

  Hahaha – Kyle Gott? Hahaha.

  This race was won because of people like Ryan Clouse, Ben Ray and Lisa Tanner– people who worked their butts off for nothing. Not because of do-nothing Kyle Gott who once stole 3-4 thousand bucks from Young Democrats (he was forced to pay it back). He didn’t have much to do with that victory.

• 20 Ryan Clouse // Feb 11, 2009 at 3:55 pm

  I want to say thanks to everyone who helped out with the Reynolds campaign. The volunteers were great and even though we had our ups and downs, we made sure that Frankfort had some good water cooler material today. I want to thank Jared Madison, who was a great intern for us. He was a good soldier and made tons of calls, knocked on doors, lit drops, and didn’t complain. He has a bright future in KY politics and needs to be thanked for the tireless hours he gave. Thanks also to Ben Ray for giving up some time to make calls, knock on doors, and being quite helpful. Lisa Tanner also helped us make E-day calls to Butler County yesterday and it was great to know that we did have some support north of Bowling Green. She was determined not to let car trouble keep her from helping out. Shout out to Kyle for the great IT work as well.

• 21 Jared Madison // Feb 11, 2009 at 5:28 pm

  Well since this is the thing to do I thought I’d jump on here and give my thanks to everyone. In no particular order.

  First off. The voters for beating our expectations. Without the voters coming out this would’ve never been possible.

  Second. Thanks to Mike for being a great candidate and making this possible.

  Third. Ryan Clouse for taking me under the volunteer organizer wing and teaching me some of the ropes and being patient with the 50 questions a day I asked.

  Jake for motivating me to get out there and make phone calls and knock on doors… haha.

  Keshia, the better half of the intern duo. It’s always a pleasure working with people like her… especially when you know that no matter what you do, they’re going to be smarter than you. This girl has got a future in politics, not only in Kentucky, but anywhere.

  Tim, thanks for letting me tag along. It was a great experience.

  Kyle S.. For all the I.T. support.

  For everyone else out there that reads this and, thanks for all your support.

  This was a prime example of a grassroots cause. Never doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.

• 22 JM // Feb 11, 2009 at 5:33 pm

  Mark Riddle was also involved heavily in this campaign. I heard Senator Reynolds mention his thanks to him several times as well.

• 23 Keshia Shockley // Feb 11, 2009 at 8:28 pm

  As long as we’re doing thank you’s…

  You’ve got to hand it to the volunteers. Without them, we couldn’t have gotten the word out. They really came through for us.

  The voters – for doubling the expected turnout. It’s all about them in the end, they can make or break us. I wish I could have been one of them.

  Mike – for being the honest, ethical candidate. The voters saw that, and it helped us win.

  My family and friends – for putting up with me never being home or having time to do anything for the last month.

  Tim Morris, field director – for being amazingly patient with me, and for giving me the opportunity to intern on the campaign in the first place. He was definitely the resident backbone of our field game. He took me under his wing, answered all my questions, and challenged me to look at things in a different way. I’m not sure I could have been randomly thrown into a situation requiring I spend hours every day for a month with someone I don’t really know, and have had it turn out so well with anyone else.

  “And one for you,” Jared, fellow intern – for being the half of the intern duo that can get the caps off of coke bottles. He did tons on the canvassing front, helped out on phone banking, and helped give rides on election day. He definitely has just as much a future in politics as I do.

  Kyle Gott, campaign manager – for trusting Tim’s judgment on picking a random high school senior as an intern, as well as for being the other half (with Tim) of the campaign strategy brains. He was instrumental and we couldn’t have done it without him, regardless of what anyone else may say. (“Jake,” I’m not sure who you are, but since I was there everyday, working on the campaign, and never heard mention of anyone named “Jake,” I’m going to guess that it’s a fake name, and you’re too afraid to have anyone know who you actually are when you go off spouting accusations about people. If you’re going to post libel about a good man, at least have the decency to own up to it.)

  Kyle Springer, tech support – for having the tech know-how to come in and save our phones, and for making calls during crunch time. He did a lot of work that may have later seemed pointless, but every little bit counted in the end.

  Ryan, assistant field director – for all his work on the canvassing front, as well as for giving rides to the much-needed supporters on election day.

  I only hope that I get the opportunity to work with these guys again in the near future. We make a great team.

  This campaign proved that you can’t throw money at the voters and win. You have to have people that genuinely care about the work they’re doing and the hours they’re putting in – it’s a tangible quality that definitely shines through to the voters, and one that’s missing when all your phone bankers and canvassers are paid, not volunteers like ours.

• 24 Keshia Shockley // Feb 11, 2009 at 8:51 pm

  *My bad, Ryan’s technical title is “field organizer.”

• 25 Taylor // Feb 11, 2009 at 10:18 pm

  Keshia – re:(”Jake,” I’m not sure who you are, but since I was there everyday, working on the campaign, and never heard mention of anyone named “Jake,” I’m going to guess that it’s a fake name, and you’re too afraid to have anyone know who you actually are when you go off spouting accusations about people. If you’re going to post libel about a good man, at least have the decency to own up to it.)

  did you really just write that? you know that this is Jake’s site? that Jake is pretty open about who he is? dude isn’t an unknown quantity, quite the opposite – he’s a blogger. think before writing…

• 26 Jessica // Feb 11, 2009 at 10:37 pm

  Keshia-Seriously? Are you serious? You just typed that on Jake’s website! Jake, unlike you, actually knows something about Kentucky politics. Like Jake said, this campaign was won by people like Ryan Clouse and Lisa Tanner who have experience in WINNING political campaigns. You gan make insane comments like that after you gain a little more experience in the political field. Actually, its best if you just keep your mouth shut.

• 27 Keshia Shockley // Feb 11, 2009 at 10:40 pm

  Yes, I know that’s his name, but “Jake” is a pretty common name, which means there’s no reason one should automatically believe them to be the same person. And if you think about it, what better pseudonym for someone to choose if they didn’t want to use their own name? But honestly, regardless of whether it’s the same Jake, I don’t see the point in refusing to give credit where credit’s due, and that was the entire point of the comment.

• 28 Timothy Morris // Feb 11, 2009 at 11:08 pm

  Well I suppose it’s my turn.

  First of all the interns. Jared Madison, a guy that just randomly messaged me on facebook became a solid intern. Helping with letters to the editor, phone calls, and canvassing. You did a fantastic job helping myself and of course Ryan over at Beech Street. I’m here to learn and get experience that’s what you always said, well the ball’s in your court now. Go run with it!

  Of course I must mention the amazing help of an intern that couldn’t even vote in this election. The 17 year old Miss Keshia Shockley. She really was the heart of this campaign, her devotion and selflessness truly amazed me. She always followed my orders without question. This girl needs to stay in politics, and I’m so proud of her and all of her efforts!

  Ryan, you were a great Volunteer Coordinator/Field Organizer thank you for all of your hard work, I’m certain you’ll go far in politics.

  Thank you to the wonderful and amazing volunteers that came and worked and helped all of us win this election. I spoke to many of them today, and they would like to say thank you to all of the out of town volunteers that came and helped our campaign.

  Lisa Tanner, thank you for making phone calls on E-day, you really helped our GOTV efforts.

  Ben Ray is an amazing volunteer, the man called and emailed me just wanting to help elect a good Democrat to the state senate. He worked so hard and helped us so much by knocking doors and making phone calls. I appreciate all of your hard work.

  Kyle Spinger, fantastic work with the IT dept. You’re amazing at what you do, and I’m proud of your hard work. You will go very far!

  Mark Riddle did a fantastic job with the media aspect of our campaign.

  Kyle Gott made sure that we won this thing, he is the major brains behind this campaign, I’m just the field Director for the campaign. This wouldn’t have been possible without Kyle’s help with our field plan, and his ability to trust in the team to do what we needed to do to make absolutely certain that a great man became the State Senator from the 32nd district in Warren and Butler Counties.

  In closing , thank you to anyone I may have forgotten on this month long trek through thousands and thousands of phone calls and door knocks!

• 29 Ray // Feb 11, 2009 at 11:14 pm

  I got the magic dick
  Welcome to the store with a pocket full of nickels

• 30 jake // Feb 11, 2009 at 11:29 pm

  Uh, sweetie, I own and operate this website. You can click on my name and see very quickly that I’m the only person able to have the registered name of “jake”…

  Kyle Gott stole 3-4 thousand from Young Dems, forcing Jack Walker to recoup funds from him. Jennifer Moore almost had to take legal action to get him to pay it back.

  And from what I hear from everyone involved, Kyle had jack shit to do with this race.

  But it’s fine for you to defend him. I’m just stating the facts.

• 31 briansmith // Feb 12, 2009 at 2:11 am

  I think I hear the orchestra playing. Has everyone been thanked?

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