Although he didn't enjoy being governor the first time, Brereton Jones is itching to run. Jones, Crit Luallen, Jack Conway, Ben Chandler. Tracy Farmer and Terry McBrayer are supposed to get together Thursday or Friday to figure out who the democrats' "good government" ticket will be.

Chandler's out. Best bet: A Jones-Conway or Jones-Luallen ticket. However, that could be problematic. Conway and Luallen are both friends with Jerry Abramson. They may not want to commit to Jones right now if there's a chance Abramson will run. But Jones wants to announce in the next minute or two.

Greg Stumbo: He wants to run. He's telling supporters to keep their powder dry, don't make any commitments. I still don't think Stumbo will run for governor because of all the personal baggage. But I didn't think John Yarmuth could beat Anne Northup either.

Charlie Owen: Haven't heard a word from him in months. But C-J says he's still deciding.

Steve Henry: He's running. And those of you who discount Henry are being foolish. He could be the Democratic Party nominee. He's still popular in western kentucky.
And Henry's got the best campaigner in Kentucky right now, his wife, Heather French-Henry. But can he raise the money?

Jerry Abramson: Numbers are great, timing is bad. A good way for the mayor to tick off his constituents is to turn around and run for statewide office before he's sworn in as Metro Mayor. Alot of democrats are encouraging him to run, especially now that he got nearly 70-percent of the vote in the mayor's race. But I still don't see it happening for reasons I've mentioned previously on my blog.

Republicans: I think it's the Ernie and Billy show. Who else could run? Anne Northup? She's had the worst year of her life. Why would she want to get beat up some more running for governor in '07? Hal Rogers? Could take over as ranking minority member on House Appropriations Committee. Nice guy, ethics problems, not a dynamic speaker. Rogers stays put. Steve Pence? Best bet. Principaled guy, attractive candidate. But who does he raise money from? And many republicans who don't like Fletcher don't like Pence much better because they view him as a turncoat, a guy who rode Fletcher into office then ditched him when the going got tough. I still don't think Pence will run for anything in 2007. Billy Harper is in. He has a news conference scheduled next week at the Capitol.