While the 136th Fancy Farm Picnic stage will be lacking in Democratic support Saturday. Organizers say Thursday night's Alben Barkley Dinner had its strongest showing of Democrats in 11 years.
The three hundred attendees say their party has something to “crow about” like keeping the 53 to 47 seat lead in the Kentucky House of Representatives and winning two upcoming high profile U.S. House and Senate races.
6th District Representative Will Coursey brought the Fancy Farm rhetoric to the stage as he said the party would win the upcoming general election “precinct by precinct.”
38-year old military veteran Sam Gaskins is running for Kentucky's 1st District Congressional seat and said divisive politics prompted his run, and he hopes to unite people in his district.
“The reason I am a democratic is because in the military we had one simple ethos, leave no man behind, and God help me, I won’t leave a single person behind.”
Gaskin's opponent, former state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer has a significant fundraising lead in the race.
Secretary of State Allison Lundergan-Grimes said the dinner was her last stop as spending time with her husband prior to a work trip takes precedent over Friday and Saturday’s events.
Another notable high profile Democrat, Attorney General Andy Beshear, is also skipping this year’s picnic to attend his children's first play.
While the stage at Fancy Farm will be heavily Republican, Lundergan-Grimes said it makes no difference.
“Listen Donald Trump is doing a great job all by himself of imploding the Republican Party, no democrat really needs to take the stage on Saturday.”
Both major party Presidential candidates will have surrogates speaking at Saturday's picnic.
U.S. Senate Candidate Jim Gray, who's facing incumbent Republican Senator Rand Paul, says his fellow Democrats that won’t be speak at the picnic this year are simply giving him the spotlight and he is thankful.
The Lexington Mayor says his campaign is in parity with Senator Paul’s in both voter support and financial contributions. “A long shot from the beginning” though today’s poll results according to Gray shows he “has a shot.” The numbers quoted by Gray were split at 42 percent with 16 percent undecided. Gray said the numbers show that “yes we can win this race.”
