The Cardinals may have lost the football game this year, but they won a more important competition with the Cats.

Both the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky competed for the opportunity to serve as the repository for the public papers of Sen. Mitch McConnell and former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, and U of L won the battle.

The Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao Archives will house the papers and effects of these two famous Kentucky leaders.
Senatorial and secretarial archives are valued resources for scholars, and the McConnell-Chao archives should attract researchers from all over the country. In this particular case, both McConnell and Chao have been in the middle of most of the pivotal political decisions in our recent history, so their official papers are particularly relevant.

The archives will be located on the lower level of U of L’s Ekstrom Library, and it will feature the couple’s collected papers, a reading room and a public education gallery designed to help visitors better understand American politics and history.

The university has ambitious plans for the archives. Eventually, it hopes that the archives will be able to fund post-doctoral fellows in congressional leadership, provide travel grants to researchers and acquire other archival collections.

U of L held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the archives on Nov. 11, and Sen. John McCain was on hand to participate.

The archives is hosting a public open house from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. Go check it out! The exhibit will be open daily during library hours.

In the interest of full disclosure, Julie has been helping U of L make this project a success. We would like to thank McConnell and Chao for their contributions to the university and our community.

Senate buzz
Everyone’s talking about the recent WHAS11/Survey USA poll showing Rand Paul leading Secretary of State Trey Grayson 35 percent to 32 percent with a 4.1 point margin of error.

Most people dismissed Paul as a nuisance candidate a few months ago, but it looks like he’s going to be a major thorn in Grayson’s side. According to Paul’s Web site, he has raised more than $1.3 million, and he’s doing it the easy way through a nationwide network of donors.

To make matters more interesting, some insiders believe that former Ambassador Cathy Bailey is preparing to jump into this primary.

So what happens if we wind up with a three-way primary? When all is said and done, I think Grayson will prevail, but he is certainly going to be tested.

Wildcat Coal Lodge
I have the great privilege of being a member of the Council on Postsecondary Education. During our meeting last week, we approved a recommended budget for higher education in Kentucky.

As you know, Kentucky is flat broke, and our recommended budget is modest. One special item we were asked to approve was the $7 million rehab of the UK men’s basketball dormitory.

Now, mind you, every penny of the $7 million comes from private donations, and I don’t blame President Lee Todd or A.D. Mitch Barnhart one bit for upgrading their facilities. Big-time Division 1 programs have to have first-tier facilities to compete for coaches and recruits.

But wouldn’t it be wonderful if people were lining up to fund new science buildings and not just basketball dorms?

Julie’s favorite place
About once a week when I call Julie, I will hear a piano in the background. I ask her where she is, and she always makes something up.

And I say, “Julie, I can hear the piano! I know you’re at Von Maur again!”

Julie and Ellen own Adams & Call Inc., a Louisville public affairs firm. Visit ­adamsandcall.com