Family member lobbying in Kentucky

A situation has arisen in Kentucky that bears a striking resemblance to the situation Tom Daschle finds himself in with regard to his lobbyist wife. The story, appearing in the Louisville Courier-Journal, is headlined "Senate leader's spouse is lobbyist."

Interestingly, Larry Sabato, an expert on politics who is frequently quoted by Argus Leader reporters, had some scathing comments about this situation. Excerpt:

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said, "I see conflicts galore in this relationship."

"When she speaks to the executive branch officials, surely these officials and the governor know she's married to the president of the Senate. And what she says to the president of the Senate really matters on their agencies' funding and other pending legislation," Sabato said. "It would be awfully difficult to say no to her I would think."

An AP report headlined "Watchdog Group Questions Senate President's Wife's Job" also mentions Saboto's comments.

David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, most recently quoted Sabato in a story published February 9. Kranz quotes him frequently. As spousal lobbying will inevitably come up as an issue in the Senate race here in South Dakota, it's reasonable to expect Kranz to get a quote from Sabato regarding Linda Daschle's lobbying.