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Jack Conway
John William "Jack" Conway (b. July 5, 1969, in Louisville, Kentucky) was a Democratic attorney general of Kentucky. He was first elected in 2007 and took office in January 2008. He left office in January 2016.[1]
Conway was also the Democratic nominee for governor of Kentucky. He formally launched his gubernatorial campaign on May 6, 2014, and announced state Rep. Sannie Overly (D) as his running mate.[2] Conway was defeated by his Republican rival Matt Bevin in the 2015 general election.[3]
Conway's seat was up for election in November 2015, with his second term scheduled to expire the following January. Ineligible to run for a third consecutive term as attorney general, Conway declared his intention to run for the open governor's seat in the 2015 elections. “I think I have enough statewide experience that I could go and talk about state issues, issues that are concerns all across the state as well as look out for Louisville’s interests,” he said in April 2013.[4] Conway and Overly defeated Geoff Young and Jonathan Masters in the Democratic primary held on May 19, 2015.[4][5] Conway was hoping to succeed Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear, who was likewise barred by term limits from seeking re-election in 2015.
In a Huffington Post article published November 17, 2014, Conway was identified as an emerging Democratic leader. Conway joined the list of seven state executive officials highlighted because of his refusal to file an appeal to a court ruling that struck down a state ban on recognition of same-sex marriages licensed outside of the state.[6]
Biography
John William Conway was born in Louisville, Ky., to lawyer Tom Conway and his wife, Barbara.[7] He graduated from St. Xavier High School and then completed his B.A. in public policy at Duke University in 1995. He received his J.D. from George Washington University.[8]
From 1991 to 1997, Conway worked as a legislative aide to the U.S. House Banking Committee in Washington, D.C. From 1995 to 2001, he worked as legal counsel and deputy cabinet secretary for Kentucky Governor Paul Patton. Conway ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District in 2002, narrowly losing out to Republican incumbent Anne Northup. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) tried to convince him to run for the same seat two years later, but he declined the offer.[8]
Prior to becoming attorney general, Conway worked as a private attorney for the firm of Conliffe Sandman and Sullivan. He also served for six years as a legal counsel and deputy cabinet secretary in the administration of former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton.[9]
Conway is a member of the following organizations:
- Kentucky Bar Association (1995-Present)
- Lousiville Bar Association (1998-Present)
- Leadership Louisville Foundation (2000-Present)
Education
- St. Xavier High School
- B.A. in public policy - Duke University (1995)
- National Law Center at George Washington University[8]
Political career
Kentucky attorney general (2008-2016)
According to his official website, Conway spearheaded several cyber-security initiatives as attorney general, including one to create a cybercrimes unit to battle child pornography and solicitation of minors on the Internet.[10] As attorney general, Conway "sought execution warrants against death-row inmates who have exhausted their appeals; opposed gay marriage; backed mandatory sentences for drug dealers; and cracked down on Internet crime."[11] The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) claimed that "while he does have liberal views on some issues such as abortion rights and health-care reform, his outlook is conservative or moderate on others, including the death penalty and gay marriage."[11]
Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act
On March 11, 2013, Conway, with 12 other state attorneys general, sent a letter to Congress in support of the Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act, a bill that sought to ban for-profit colleges from using federal funds for marketing and recruiting techniques.[12] Senators Kay R. Hagan (D-N.C.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chaired the chamber's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, sponsored the bill. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) stated that the proposed law aimed to "ensure that scarce federal education dollars will be used to serve and educate students rather than to finance advertising campaigns, recruitment operations, and aggressive marketing."[13]
In the letter, the attorneys general wrote, "Federal taxpayers should not be asked to foot the bill for aggressive recruiting and deceptive sales tactics of colleges that have placed profits ahead of ensuring student success."[13] At the time, there were an estimated 3,000 for-profit schools nationwide.[14]
On March 12, 2013, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, but no subsequent action was taken and the bill died in committee.[15]
On April 23, 2013, a related bill — HR 340 — was referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce's subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, but it also died in committee.[16]
ACORN
The June 2008 Survey and Scorecard report published by the liberal political organization, ACORN, gave Conway an A- letter grade. The report was published to shine the spotlight on state attorneys general "leading the fight to protect homeowners from joining the flood of Americans losing their homes to foreclosure," according to the group.[17] The grade distributed to the individual attorneys general "generally broke down along party lines," with the exception of Louisiana's Buddy Caldwell.[18]
Ethics complaint
Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky Daniel Mongiardo filed an official complaint against Conway with the state's Executive Branch Ethics Commission in May 2010 after Conway, who negotiates utility rate increases as part of duties as attorney general, accepted campaign contributions from utility companies.[19] According to Mongiardo, taking campaign money from the same businesses he regulates was an unethical conflict of interest on Conway's part.[19]
Conway's office responded that because he was not a sitting member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and, therefore, did not have an actual vote over any potential utility rate increase, the complaint was baseless. Mongiardo countered that, as the state's top law enforcer, Conway serves a "very specific regulatory oversight role and power over utility companies applying for and requesting a utility rate increase."[19]
The complaint came three weeks prior to the two men facing off in the Democratic primary race for the United States Senate, a contest Conway ultimately won.[19]
Elections
| Conway Overly 2015 - Announcement Video - Posted to YouTube May 6, 2014 |
2015
General election
Republican Matt Bevin and his running mate, Jenean M. Hampton, defeated Attorney General Jack Conway and independent Drew Curtis.[20]
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | 52.5% | 511,771 | ||
| Democrat | Jack Conway/Sannie Overly | 43.8% | 426,827 | |
| Independent | Drew Curtis/Heather Curtis | 3.7% | 35,627 | |
| Total Votes | 974,225 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
Conway and running mate Sannie Overly defeated Geoff Young and running mate Jonathan Masters in the Democratic primary held on May 19, 2015.[21]
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| 78.8% | 140,627 | |||
| Geoff Young/Johnathan Masters | 21.2% | 37,887 | ||
| Total Votes | 178,514 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky State Board of Elections. | ||||
Endorsements
Conway received the endorsements of the Kentucky AFL-CIO, Lieutenant Governor Crit Luallen (D) and U.S. Representative John Yarmuth (D) prior to the Democratic primary.[22]
Polls
General election
| Governor of Kentucky | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Jack Conway (D) | Matt Bevin (R) | Drew Curtis (I) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| Vox Populi Polling October 26-27, 2015 | 44% | 44% | 6% | 7% | +/-3.9 | 618 | |||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky University Social Science Research Center October 19-25, 2015 | 45% | 40% | 7% | 8% | +/-3.5 | 770 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll September 22-27, 2015 | 42% | 37% | 7% | 14% | +/-3.8 | 701 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll July 22-28, 2015 | 43% | 38% | 8% | 11% | +/-3.8 | 685 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling June 18-21, 2015 | 35% | 38% | 6% | 21% | +/-2.9 | 1,108 | |||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 41.8% | 39.4% | 6.8% | 12.2% | +/-3.58 | 776.4 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Hypothetical match-ups
| Governor of Kentucky, Conway v. Bevin | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Jack Conway (D) | Matt Bevin (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll July 22-28, 2015 | 45% | 42% | 13% | +/-3.8 | 685 | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll May 5-10, 2015 | 48% | 37% | 16% | +/-2.4 | 1,677 | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll March 3-8, 2015 | 42% | 36% | 22% | +/-2.3 | 1,917 | ||||||||||||||
| Harper Polling January 28-29, 2015 | 45% | 41% | 14% | +/-3.87 | 640 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 45% | 39% | 16.25% | +/-3.09 | 1,229.75 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kentucky, Conway v. Comer | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Jack Conway (D) | James Comer Jr. (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA May 5-10, 2015 | 45% | 39% | 16% | +/-2.4 | 1,677 | ||||||||||||||
| Bluegrass Poll March 3-8, 2015 | 40% | 38% | 22% | +/-2.3 | 1,917 | ||||||||||||||
| Harper Polling January 28-29, 2015 | 41% | 45% | 14% | +/-3.87 | 640 | ||||||||||||||
| Gravis Marketing January 5-6, 2015 | 40% | 37% | 23% | +/-4 | 608 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 41.5% | 39.75% | 18.75% | +/-3.14 | 1,210.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kentucky, Conway v. Heiner | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Jack Conway (D) | Hal Heiner (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA May 5-10, 2015 | 48% | 36% | 16% | +/-2.4 | 1,677 | ||||||||||||||
| Bluegrass Poll March 3-8, 2015 | 41% | 38% | 21% | +/-2.3 | 1,917 | ||||||||||||||
| Harper Polling January 28-29, 2015 | 42% | 44% | 14% | +/-3.87 | 640 | ||||||||||||||
| Gravis Marketing January 5-6, 2015 | 43% | 34% | 22% | +/-4 | 608 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 43.5% | 38% | 18.25% | +/-3.14 | 1,210.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kentucky, Conway v. Scott | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Jack Conway (D) | Will T. Scott (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA May 5-10, 2015 | 48% | 32% | 20% | +/-2.4 | 1,677 | ||||||||||||||
| Bluegrass Poll March 3-8, 2015 | 43% | 33% | 24% | +/-2.3 | 1,917 | ||||||||||||||
| Harper Polling January 28-29, 2015 | 44% | 40% | 16% | +/-3.87 | 640 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 45% | 35% | 20% | +/-2.86 | 1,411.33 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Democratic primary
| Governor of Kentucky, Democratic primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Jack Conway | Geoff Young | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA May 5-10, 2015 | 68% | 13% | 19% | +/-3.5 | 707 | ||||||||||||||
| Bluegrass Poll March 3-8, 2015 | 61% | 12% | 27% | +/-3.9 | 640 | ||||||||||||||
| Harper Polling January 28-31, 2015 | 59% | 13% | 28% | +/-6.14 | 255 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 62.67% | 12.67% | 24.67% | +/-4.51 | 534 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Republican primary
| Governor of Kentucky, Republican primary (May 2015) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | James Comer Jr. | Matt Bevin | Hal Heiner | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling May 6-7, 2015 | 28% | 25% | 27% | 20% | +/-4.4 | 501 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kentucky, Republican primary (Jan. 2015) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | James Comer Jr. | Matt Bevin | Hal Heiner | Will T. Scott | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA May 5-10, 2015 | 26% | 27% | 25% | 8% | 14% | +/-4.4 | 517 | ||||||||||||
| Triumph Campaigns March 24, 2015 | 19% | 12% | 33% | 3% | 29% | +/-4 | 601 | ||||||||||||
| Bluegrass Poll March 3-8, 2015 | 20% | 20% | 28% | 8% | 25% | +/-4.4 | 520 | ||||||||||||
| Harper Polling January 28-31, 2015 | 25% | 18% | 19% | 9% | 30% | +/-6.07 | 261 | ||||||||||||
| Remington Research Group January 27-28, 2015 | 22% | 19% | 18% | 5% | 35% | +/-3 | 1,066 | ||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 22.4% | 19.2% | 24.6% | 6.6% | 26.6% | +/-4.37 | 593 | ||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Debates
October 25 debate with Matt Bevin
Conway and his Republican opponent Matt Bevin participated in a debate sponsored by Eastern Kentucky University and the League of Women Voters. The debate took place on October 25, 2015, at the university.[23]
The debate was heated, with both candidates interrupting each other. At one point, Bevin accused Conway of lying to the public about having cut his office's budget.[23]
He said, “You didn’t cut your budget. The governor cut your budget. It’s a lie. Stop lying to people, Jack.”[23]
Conway defended his budget claims, saying he was responsible for managing the governor's cuts and that he returned $300 million to the General Fund through settlements he won as attorney general.[23]
The candidates also wrestled over health policy. Conway criticized Bevin for saying he would reverse Governor Steve Beshear's Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Bevin responded, “I never said I would kick anyone off Medicaid if I was elected.”[23]
Conway turned to what he said were independent financial analyses showing that Medicaid expansion is beneficial for the state in the early years, and that the General Fund would not be hit until at least 2021. Bevin said the studies Conway cited are "baloney."[23]
The candidates battled over other issues such as education and Kentucky's pension fund and agreed on issues such as restoring nonviolent offender voting rights, supporting the Second Amendment, instituting a nonpartisan redistricting commission and opposing harmful federal coal regulations.[23]
Campaign finance
First quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $3,712,481 and spent a total of $5,132,368.71 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on April 24, 2015.[24]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Jack Conway/Sannie Overly |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $951,795.60 | $872,346.75 | $410,248.42 | $1,413,893.93 |
| James Comer Jr./Chris McDaniel |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $873,474.86 | $1,013,831.02 | $848,860.07 | $1,038,445.81 |
| Hal Heiner/K.C. Crosbie |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $3,467,422.17 | $278,101.97 | $2,727,925.03 | $1,017,599.11 |
| Matt Bevin/Jenean Hampton |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $1,322,717.02 | $1,036,516.47 | $286,200.55 |
| Will T. Scott/Rodney Coffey |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $195,330.00 | $83,153.78 | $112,176.22 |
| Drew Curtis/Heather Curtis |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $30,154.24 | $25,664.94 | $4,489.30 |
| Geoff Young/Jonathan Masters |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Grand Total Raised | $3,712,481 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $5,132,368.71 | ||||
Fourth quarter report (2014)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $880,190.47 and spent a total of $545,733.73 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on February 3, 2015.[25]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Hal Heiner/K.C. Crosbie |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $3,502,534.91 | $156,104.87 | $191,217.61 | $3,467,422.17 |
| Jack Conway/Sannie Overly |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $978,044.51 | $176,042 | $202,290.91 | $951,795.60 |
| James Comer Jr./Chris McDaniel |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $477,656.47 | $548,043.60 | $152,225.21 | $873,474.86 |
| Matt Bevin/Jenean Hampton |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Drew Curtis/Heather Curtis |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Will T. Scott/Rodney Coffey |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Geoff Young/Johnathan Masters |
Kentucky Governor/Lieutenant Governor | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Grand Total Raised | $880,190.47 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $545,733.73 | ||||
2011
His first term ended in January 2012, and he ran successfully for re-election in November 2011. Conway was unopposed in the 2011 Democratic primary and overtook Hopkins County Attorney Todd P'Pool in the November 8 general election.[26][27]
Conway announced he would seek re-election in the 2011 Kentucky statewide office campaign nearly two weeks after losing a race for U.S. Senate to Republican Rand Paul in the 2010 midterm elections.[28] Conway won the Democratic nomination unopposed and defeated Hopkins County Attorney Todd P'Pool in the November 8 general election.[26]
Issue positions
Conway emphasized the strength of his record as attorney general during his campaign for re-election in 2011. He did not begin actively campaigning until well into election season; according to Amanda Van Benschoten of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Conway kept a "low profile" for the first six months of 2011 and did not hire a campaign manager until June 2011. When asked about his relative inactivity early in the campaign, Conway claimed he was focused on doing his job as attorney general.
In response to criticism from Republican candidate Todd P'Pool over Conway's decision to not join a multi-state lawsuit against President Barack Obama's health care reform law, Conway argued that his office's resources had been curtailed by budget cuts. He said he was being "fiscally responsible" in not joining the lawsuit because "he would have been taking [lawyers] away from something else: cybercrimes, or criminal appeals, or consumer protection, or Medicaid fraud."[29]
Conway was dogged by accusations from Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Steve Robertson surrounding a drug investigation into Conway's brother, Matt. According to Robertson, Matt Conway, who resigned as assistant commonwealth's attorney in Jefferson County in April 2011, may have received preferential treatment from the attorney general. Before his resignation, Matt Conway admitted to police that he had lied about being tipped off to the investigation by Louisville Metro Police. Jack Conway called Robertson's claims "mean and out of bounds" and asserted that he had no involvement in his brother's case except to encourage him to retain counsel.[30]
| Attorney General of Kentucky, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | 55% | 449,638 | ||
| Republican | Todd P'Pool | 45% | 367,661 | |
| Total Votes | 817,299 | |||
| Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State | ||||
2010
Conway announced in April 2009 that he would challenge veteran U.S. Senator Jim Bunning in the Democratic Party primary during the 2010 Kentucky U.S. Senate race.[31] He became the third Democratic candidate to enter the campaign, following Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo and former United States Customs agent Darlene Fitzgerald Price. After a contentious primary campaign during which Bunning dropped out of the race, the state attorney general narrowly defeated the lieutenant governor 43.98 to 43.18 percent, a margin of victory of less than 4,000 votes.[32] Conway subsequently lost the general election to the Republican candidate, physician Rand Paul, receiving 44.2 percent of the vote to Paul's 55.7 percent.
Issue positions
- Estate Tax:
During his 2010 campaign for U.S. Senate, Conway came out against the repeal of the federal estate tax[33], but broke with his Democratic Party colleagues by supporting an extension of George W. Bush-era tax rates. He suggested he would balance the federal budget by making modifications to Medicare, enforcing "pay as you go" budget rules and following the recommendations of the bipartisan debt commission formed by President Barack Obama.[33]
- Earmarks:
During a debate with opponent Rand Paul, Conway said he would "stand up for northern Kentucky," where earmarks are concerned, suggesting he supported their existence.[34]
- Abortion:
Conway supports abortion rights during the first trimester of pregnancy and supported the federal health care reform law sponsored by President Obama.[11] He also favored ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy towards gay service members. According to Issues2000.org, he also supports affirmative action.[35]
Noteworthy events
- "Aqua Buddha" ad
Conway's 2010 campaign for U.S. Senate ran a television ad that appeared to question the Christian faith of Conway's opponent, Rand Paul.[36] The 30-second ad suggested that Paul had been a member of a "secret society" at Baylor University that called the Bible a "hoax." According to the ad, Paul had also proclaimed that "[his] god was Aqua Buddha." Popular reaction to the ad was overwhelmingly negative and observers claimed it had gone too far by challenging Paul's faith. A survey by Public Policy Polling showed that Conway's disapproval rating rose 16 points in October, while an internal GOP poll found that 45 percent of voters were actually more likely to vote for Paul after seeing Conway's ad; only 26 percent were less likely to choose him. After his loss in the general election, Conway said of his decision to approve the ad: "That's one of the few times I've gone against my gut."[2]
| 2010 Race for United States Senate - Democratic Primary[37] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | 44.0% | ||
| Democratic Party | Daniel Mongiardo | 43.2% | |
| Democratic Party | Darlene F. Price | 5.5% | |
| Democratic Party | James Buckmaster | 3.9% | |
| Democratic Party | Maurice M. Sweeney | 3.4% | |
| Total Votes | 521,659 | ||
| 2010 Race for United States Senate - General Election[38] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | 55.7% | ||
| Democratic Party | Jack Conway | 44.2% | |
| Write-In | 0.1% | ||
| Total Votes | 1,356,056 | ||
2007
| 2007 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary[39] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | 71.9% | ||
| Democratic Party | Robert V. Bullock | 28.1% | |
| Total Votes | 296,907 | ||
| 2007 Race for Attorney General - General Election[40] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | 60.5% | ||
| Republican Party | Stan Lee | 39.5% | |
| Total Votes | 1,012,292 | ||
2002
Conway's first attempt at office came in 2002, when he sought to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Anne M. Northup of Kentucky's 3rd Congressional district. Conway narrowly lost by a margin of 3.2 percent.
| 2002 Race for United States House of Representatives, District 3 - General Election[41] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | 51.6% | ||
| Democratic Party | Jack Conway | 48.4% | |
| Total Votes | 229,074 | ||
Campaign themes
2015
In discussing his bid for governor, Conway noted, “I think I have enough statewide experience that I could go and talk about state issues, issues that are concerns all across the state as well as look out for Louisville’s interests."[4] On May 6, 2014, he formally launched his gubernatorial campaign and introduced state Rep. Sannie Overly (D) as his running mate.[42][4] [4][5]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Conway currently resides in Louisville, Ky., with his wife, Elizabeth Davenport, and their two daughters. He is also a practicing Roman Catholic.[27][8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Jack Conway Kentucky. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Office of the Attorney General
Capitol Suite 118
700 Capitol Avenue
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-3449
Phone: 502-696-5300
Fax: 502-564-2894
E-mail: attorney.general@ag.ky.gov
See also
| Kentucky | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
- Open offices draw big names, new faces to Kentucky state executive elections in 2015
- Kentucky Attorney General
- Attorney General
- Kentucky state executive official elections, 2011
External links
- Kentucky Attorney General
- Jack Conway for United States Senate Campaign
- Facebook, "Ky. Attorney General Conway"
- Twitter, "Kentucky Attorney General"
- 'Project Vote Smart biography
Footnotes
- ↑ Adam Beam, Harlan Daily Enterprise, "Ky.'s new leaders, among youngest in US, take office," January 5, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 WHAS11.com, "Conway announces re-election, rues 'Aqua Buddha,'" January 23, 2011
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Governor and Lieutenant Governor," accessed Nov. 4, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Courier-Journal, "Attorney General Jack Conway says 'good chance' he will run for Kentucky governor in 2015," April 24, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lexington Herald-Leader, "Jack Conway announces bid for governor, with state Rep. Sannie Overly as running mate," May 6, 2014
- ↑ Huffington Post, "These Democrats could be the party's ticket to a comeback," November 17, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Attorney General of Kentucky, "Bio of Jack Conway," accessed May 13, 2011
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Project VoteSmart, "Profile of Jack Conway," accessed May 13, 2011
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Profile of Attorney General Jack Conway (KY)," accessed May 7, 2011
- ↑ State of Kentucky, "Jack Conway official bio," accessed May 7, 2011
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 The Courier-Journal, "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jack Conway leans left, but not on all issues," July 10, 2010
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Bill Text 113th Congress (2013-2014) S.528.IS," March 12, 2013
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Boston Globe, "Attorney generals to Congress: Don’t let for-profit colleges use federal grants and loans for advertising," March 17, 2013
- ↑ Commonwealth of Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, "Letter to Congress," March 11, 2013
- ↑ Congress.gov, "All Bill Information (Except Text) for S.528 - Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act," accessed August 7, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "All Bill Information (Except Text) for H.R.340 - Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act," accessed August 7, 2015
- ↑ ACORN, "Attorneys General Take Action: Real Leadership in Fighting Foreclosures," June 2008
- ↑ Majority in Mississippi, "Jim Hood received an “A” from ACORN in 2008," September 17, 2009
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 WHAS11, "Mongiardo files ethics complaint vs. Conway," May 4, 2010
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Governor and Lieutenant Governor," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Election, "Statewide results," accessed May 20, 2015
- ↑ The Richmond Register, "Conway gets endorsement from state AFL-CIO," January 20, 2015
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 Ronnie Ellis, Richmond Register, "Governor's debate at EKU gets testy," October 26, 2015
- ↑ Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, "Candidate Search Results," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, "Candidate Search Results," accessed February 3, 2015
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 89.3 FM WFPL, "Hopkins County Attorney P’Pool seeking AG’s office," December 15, 2010
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Conway for Attorney General, "About Jack," accessed May 7, 2011
- ↑ Louisville Courier-Journal, "Jack Conway to run for re-election; seeks money to pay off Senate debt," November 19, 2010
- ↑ CincyMobile.com, "Conway ready to campaign again," June 19, 2011
- ↑ cn|2 Pure Politics, "Jack Conway says GOP is 'out of bounds' for making a political issue out of his brother's troubles," June 1, 2011
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "KY Sen: Bunning gets 2nd Dem challenger," April 9, 2009
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, 2010 U.S. Senate Primary Election Results," accessed May 17, 2011
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Project VoteSmart, "Jack Conway Issue Positions," accessed May 16, 2011
- ↑ Politics Daily, "Rand Paul to Jack Conway in caustic Kentucky Senate debate: 'Be a man'," October 11, 2010
- ↑ Issues2000.org, "Jack Conway on Civil Rights," accessed May 16, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "'Aqua Buddha' ad backfires on Jack Conway," October 26, 2010
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2010 Primary Election Results," accessed May 17, 2010
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2010 General Election Results," accessed May 17, 2010
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2007 Primary Election Results," accessed May 17, 2010
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2007 General Election Results," accessed May 17, 2010
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2002 General Election Results," accessed May 17, 2010
- ↑ Lexington Herald-Leader, "Jack Conway announces bid for governor, with state Rep. Sannie Overly as running mate," May 6, 2014
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