There's Always
a Guy in a Chicken Suit...

Ben Chandler still chicken!
2010...

The Barr campaign thought they were so original!

Ben Chandler had been challenged to debate Andy Barr in every county in the district. Chandler chickened out, refusing to utter even a peep.

Little did they realize this was nothing new to Colonel Ben, King of Chicken.

1995...
When Ben was running for Attorney General, another opponent challenged him to debates in each of Kentucky's congressional districts. When Ben refused, his opponent sent a guy in a yellow chicken suit to walk in front of the Capitol Annex which housed the state auditor's office occupied by Chandler.

"If it takes a yellow chicken to get people's attention that there's a candidate here
who refuses to come out and debate, then that's what we're going to do,"
said the 1995 campaign.

Ben, his feathers ruffled, clucked that the chicken stunt disqualified his opponent from the race.

History does repeat itself:
Ben is still chicken, free range of course, often seeming to have an egg wedged somewhere...

The Chicken Dance is still on!

See Ben.
See Ben Run...!!!

Watch as Ben goes to all lengths to hide from voters.

Chicken suit, anyone?

Part 1:

Has Ben Chandler ever had the qualifications to stand on his own in the political arena; or has he always depended on his grandfather's reputation?

If Ben weren't a Chandler, would he be a congressman? At every campaign appearance, every luncheon, especially at every visit to senior citizen centers, Happy Chandler is the unseen guest.

"Some of you may remember that my granddaddy was in politics for a while..."
And so it goes.
"My granddaddy told me very early on when I first got into this business..."

Ben's political career began the night Brereton Jones announced his run for Lt. Governor in Nov. 1986. Ben, only 27 years old, appeared on stage flanked by 2 former governors: Happy Chandler and Ned Breathitt.

Happy, never shy about seizing an opportunity, told the audience that night, "Ned Breathitt is for Albert Benjamin Chandler III to be governor some day." According to Happy, Breathitt had called him to encourage Ben's political career. Happy said he responded, "Ned, you couldn't say a nicer, sweeter thing than that."

Ben Chandler sees the future www.seebenspend.com Ben had been launched. 2 years later, his eyes on the governorship, he was contemplating a run for statewide office.

Granddaddy had been known as the "Boy Governor", being sworn in at the age of 37. If Ben, already 29, was going to live up to Happy's record, he didn't have any time to waste, and he knew it!

"I think it's time for a person to get started in this sort of thing. It's the perfect age."


Auditor was to be the first step toward the governorship. "In all candor, I do think of a political career that would take me that far [governor].I don't know that anybody runs for auditor or for secretary of state or any of the other statewide offices without that in mind, unless they're one of these musical-chair type of fellows."

Ben Chandler www.seebenspend.comThe biggest names in the Kentucky Democratic party have helped pave the way for Happy Chandler's grandson, Ben.

In future installments, we'll see how they helped Ben up the political ladder, look at the lessons Ben learned along the way, and discover the real story of Ben's much touted "independence" from the Democratic Party.
Source for above: Herald Leader archives.




Scotty Baesler would later call Ben "Fresh" and "Clean", embodying the kind of "change" that voters want.

A foreshadowing of Joe Biden and Barack Hussein Obama?