NEWS

Grimes to announce 2015 decision on Monday

Joseph Gerth
@Joe_Gerth

FRANKFORT, Ky. –

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes will end nearly three months of speculation on Monday and announce what she's running for in 2015.

Grimes, who has said only that she is running for a statewide office, issued a media advisory on Friday saying that she would make her announcement at the Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center in Lexington just after noon on Monday.

Grimes has been mentioned as a potential candidate for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general since she challenged U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell last year.

She could also run for reelection as secretary of state, which would be the safest move since Attorney General Jack Conway has already raised more than $1.3 million for his gubernatorial bid, and Andy Beshear, son of Gov. Steve Beshear, has raised nearly $1.6 million for his attorney general campaign.

Grimes' landslide loss to McConnell may have made it less likely that she would try and step up to higher office immediately.

No other Democrat has filed to run for secretary of state but Steve Knipper, a former member of the Erlanger City Council, has filed to run for the Republican nomination.

Reporter Joseph Gerth can be reached at (502) 582-4702. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Gerth.