The marquis at the State Theater in Elizabethtown where Sen. McConnell was the featured speaker at the Hardin County Lincoln Day Dinner

McConnell told about 150 Hardin County Republicans Saturday night at their Lincoln Day Dinner that the Kentucky Republican Party suffered setbacks in the past two years, but 2008 will be the year their party erects a firewall and stops Democratic momentum in Kentucky.

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“I don’t have a doubt in my mind that the 2nd Congressional District in Kentucky is still going to be represented by a Republican next year,” McConnell told the Hardin County crowd.

McConnell had them revved up, saying Democrats “over in Frankfort are feeling their oats and are coming after us.”

 

But Kentucky Republicans will “erect a firewall in 2008,” stopping Democratic momentum after the 2006 defeat of 3rd District Republican Congresswoman Anne Northup (who is running again to take back her seat from Democrat John Yarmuth) and Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear’s victory over Republican Ernie Fletcher in 2007.

“We will stop (Democrats) cold in November,” McConnell said. He assured them he will run an aggressive race against whichever Democrat comes out of an eight-person primary. (The Democrats running to face McConnell are Bruce Lunsford, Greg Fischer, Andrew Horne, Michael Cassaro, David Wylie, James Rice, Kenneth Stepp, and David Williams.)

“My opponent, whoever he may be, is going to have a perfectly miserable experience,” McConnell said.