Posted September 25th, 2009 7:00 am

The Kentucky Gazette has a nice article on the two Democratic candidates to replace retiring state Sen. Gary Tapp, R-Shelbyville. Tapp announced his retirement earlier this year, deciding against seeking a third term to the 20th District seat, which includes Bullitt, Shelby and Spencer counties.

The two Democratic candidates are John Spainhour, 58, a Shepherdsville lawyer, and David Eaton, 56, administrator for Simpsonville in Shelby County. Such an open seat is becoming a sharp focus in the continued struggle to regain enough seats to take back control of the Kentucky Senate next year, and to be able to pass legislation to help the horse racing industry through video lottery terminals at tracks.

Readers can judge for themselves by reading the full profile in the Gazette. Both candidates have impressive political track records. Spainhour has strong family roots in Bullitt County, including his wife Elise Spainhour, who was elected in 2006 to an 8-year term as Family Court Judge, and his father-in-law Tom Givhan, who served both as Bullitt County Attorney and in the State House of Representatives for District 49. Spainhour also says he’s going to need to raise “six figures” for the primary race, and emphasizes how Bulllitt County is hungry to have a native representing it in the state senate.

David Eaton is making a third run for state legislative office, having lost races in 2002 and 2004 for the 58th House District seat, which covers Shelby and Spencer counties, to the current officeholder, state Rep. Brad Montell, R-Shelbyville.

Eaton is currently the Simpsonville city administrator, a position to which he was appointed by the city’s mayor. Eaton taught school in Shelby County for two decades before being elected to the Shelbyville city council, where he served from 1986-1995. In 1995 he was elected to the first of two terms as mayor of Shelbyville.

The Gazette article points out a critical item:

Shelby County is home to 15,211 registered Democrats, a little more than half the number who reside in Bullitt County. Eaton said he can secure his party’s nomination next spring without winning Bullitt County, but believes he will win the county anyway.

Newly elected Kentucky State Senator Robin Webb just proved that voters will cross party lines in large numbers and strongly support the local candidate, and it provided Webb the path to victory. Combining Spainhour’s Bullitt County numerical advantage in the primary with the support all voters in Bullitt County are likely to show its native son in a general election, and the primary and general race could be Spainhour’s to lose.

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