Kentucky isn’t considered a battleground state in this year’s presidential election, but that’s not stopping a few Republicans from trying to make a difference this fall. The commonwealth is all but sure to deliver its electoral votes to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. So several local Republican campaign operatives have moved to other battleground states, with many ending up in Ohio and New Mexico. “New Mexico is a state made up of resilient and independent people much like our Commonwealth and it’s going to a national player in November," says Jonathan Duke, who has worked on several GOP campaigns in the commonwealth. "In years past it’s played a pivotal role and we’re currently engaged in building a dynamic effort that will bear encouraging fruit on election day."
The highest profile move was made by Scott Jennings, a frequent Republican campaign manager and former White House aide for George W. Bush. Jennings is running the Ohio operations for Romney.
President Obama won both Ohio and New Mexico in his 2008 election bid against U.S. Senator John McCain. Polls show a close race between Mr. Obama and Romney in Ohio, while the president is considered a clear frontrunner in New Mexico.
