Sen. Bunning approves his GOP rival’s bid

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) has formed an exploratory committee to run for Senate with the consent of his would-be primary opponent, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), sources tell The Hill.

Bunning, who has angrily pushed back against talk that he would retire in 2010 at the end of his second term, met with Grayson on Wednesday in Washington. The senator has not announced his 2010 intentions but he made clear to Grayson that he would not begrudge an exploratory committee, a move sources said will allow Bunning to appear as a kingmaker.

{mosads}Grayson later met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and called every member of the state’s congressional delegation to tell them of his decision.

Though the meeting with Bunning happened Wednesday, discussions between the two Republicans have gone on for weeks. Even as Bunning has loudly proclaimed his intention to seek a third term, the senator was the one who initiated the talks, according to sources.

A spokesman for Bunning suggested observers should not take the news as a sign Bunning plans to retire.

“Senator Bunning has every intention of running,” said Mike Reynard, a Bunning spokesman.

Bunning has been hobbled in recent months by rumors that he would not run again. He found it difficult to raise money, pulling in less than his Democratic opponent did in the first quarter, and picked public fights with McConnell and National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman John Cornyn (R-Texas).

As both McConnell and Cornyn continued to publicly wonder what Bunning’s plans will be, Bunning accused McConnell of bad hearing and threatened to sue the NRSC if it supported a primary challenger.

Grayson, an up-and-coming GOP star, will give Republicans a much better chance of retaining the seat than Bunning would have. A statewide elected official who survived what was otherwise a good year for Democrats in 2007, Grayson has been laying the groundwork for a Senate bid, though he made clear he would not run against Bunning.

“I have no plans to run against Sen. Bunning. This exploratory committee will allow me to travel the commonwealth, meet with potential supporters and lay the foundation for a campaign,” Grayson said in a statement.

Grayson will face the winner of a Democratic primary that so far features two top-flight candidates. Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo raised about $430,000 in his first six weeks as a candidate, while Attorney General Jack Conway joined the race earlier this month, after Federal Election Commission reports were due.

Public polls have shown Mongiardo and Conway running close to Bunning, but both parties have private polling that shows the Democratic candidates doing much better than the incumbent. Grayson, Republicans believe, would be the much stronger standard-bearer for their party.

“Today’s news really does inform us about where this is headed, and frankly I think Republicans should be heartened that we now have a glimmer of hope,” said one Kentucky GOP operative.

Multiple Republican sources say Bunning could use the state GOP’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on May 9 to announce he will not seek another term.

Bunning’s office declined to comment for this story.