campaigns

Beshear blasted the former governor for taking state aircraft to campaign fundraisers and not fully disclosing the purpose of flights, but has not met some of his own promises.

The paternal grandmother of Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes who appeared in TV ads during her granddaughter's successful campaign last year has died. Thelma Lundergan McHugh died at her home in Jessamine County, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and loved ones. She was 92. "My grandmother instilled in me the confidence that I could accomplish anything I put my mind to and taught me by example the importance of being involved in my community," Grimes said in a news release. Last fall, McHugh filmed a 30-second spot for Grimes during the 2011 general election along with the secretary of state's other maternal grandmother, Elsie Case. Political observers credited the commercial's creativity and positive pitch during an overall negative campaign season.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor says the money involved in direct judicial elections is corrupting the legal system.In Kentucky, judges…