CALVERT CITY, Ky. AP - Three Republicans competing to succeed longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell tried to define themselves before the political attacks that could come Saturday when they share the spotlight at the Fancy Farm picnic, a daunting rite of passage for candidates seeking statewide office in Kentucky.
"You're going to hear some barbs tomorrow, but what I want to focus on is my vision for serving in the United States Senate," Daniel Cameron, one of the candidates, told a GOP crowd Friday evening.
Cameron's rivals in next year's Senate primary - U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and businessman Nate Morris - used their speeches at the event to introduce themselves to Republican voters in western Kentucky.
All three could shift into attack mode against each other Saturday afternoon at the Fancy Farm picnic - the Bluegrass State's premier political event. Politicians compete to land the sharpest - and sometimes most outlandish - barbs, and have to endure shouting and heckling from their rivals' supporters. The picnic could turn into a Republican skirmish since Democratic politicians are mostly skipping the event.
McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, revealed in February, on his 83rd birthday, that he won't seek another term in Kentucky and will retire when his current term ends. His pending retirement has set up a fierce competition for his seat.