FMR. GOVERNOR HOLDEN REACTS

SAYS BAD POLICY DECISIONS, ETHICAL LAPSES PROMPTED BLUNT'S EXIT

"I'm not sure eliminating 100,000 people from health care is an accomplishment."

Former Governor Bob Holden said he believes poor polling numbers combined with bad policy decisions and ethical lapses caused Governor Matt Blunt to not run for re-election.

In an interview with the KY3 Political Notebook, Holden said he did not see any parallels between Blunt's early exit and his own fate. "People disagreed with some decisions I made, but there were never any discussions of ethical lapses. From the Department of Agriculture to the e-mails, ethical problems occurred there," Holden said.

Holden said Blunt's statement that he accomplished everything he wanted to do didn't seem to hold weight. "I'm sure the lack of support in polling weighted into in. And I'm sure he took into consideration the impact a tough campaign would have on his family. I'm not sure eliminating 100,000 people from health care is an accomplishment," Holden said.

Holden did note that the Democrats strategy would immediately change because of the unknown. "Jay (Nixon) will be in pretty good shape," Holden said. "If he'd been running against Blunt, the issues would've been obvious, so in that respect, it would've been easier. But whoever the Republican candidate is, will have to deal with those issues. Even though Governor Blunt won't be running himself, the candidate will have to talk about the decisions. And he didn't make them by himself," Holden said.