Republican with tea party ties announces plans for 2011 run for Kentucky governor

Republican with tea party ties to run for Ky. gov.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Louisville businessman with tea party ties has announced he will run for governor in Kentucky.

Phil Moffett, president of the information technology firm CCS Partners, is the first of a potentially crowded field of Republicans to enter the 2011 race.

Running as a political outsider, Moffett said his political philosophy is closely aligned with Republican Rand Paul, the firebrand running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. Moffett also has hired Paul’s former campaign manager, David Adams, to lead his effort.

Moffett may have to overcome some big names in Kentucky politics to win the GOP nomination, including Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer and Senate President David Williams, both of whom have expressed an interest in running.