The Herald-Leader’s editorial board has hit Daniel Mongiardo’s U.S. Senate campaign over this week’s revelation that campaign staff used their connections as former Beshear-Mongiardo Administration officials in what seems like pay-to-play politics. Click here for more on that.

Here’s an excerpt from the H-L:

The Courier-Journal reported Thursday that campaign staffers have sent out e-mails soliciting names for possible gubernatorial appointment to state boards. That, too, is embarrassing, and not just because of the presumption that Mongiardo’s people would have any influence over appointments after his dissing of the governor went public.

Worse, it’s embarrassingly sloppy — as sloppy as the host of a fund-raiser sending out invitations offering folks special access to Mongiardo and Beshear for a $1,000 contribution. In each instance, the sloppiness casts an overt “pay to play” aura over the Mongiardo campaign.

Support the campaign, and win a board appointment. Contribute $1,000, and whisper in the ears of the governor and lieutenant governor.

True, “pay to play” is a standard element in most political campaigns. But candidates who hope to be successful don’t run sloppy campaigns that rub voters noses in it.

Click here to read the entire editorial.

While it’s nice that the paper of record in Central and Eastern Kentucky took note, it never touched on Mongiardo shirking his official duty. And never bothered to mention that his campaign staff has gone so far as to leak official campaign plans and strategies in the recent past. Both are much more major than sending out a shady email.

But at least they’re paying attention.