The Republican Party of Kentucky has requested the work emails of several teachers, saying they want to see if there is widespread misuse of government resources. Some teachers, however, see it as ploy to intimidate.

The GOP declined to tell the Courier Journal how many requests it has sent or for whom, but the newspaper reports at least some are directed at teachers who unsuccessfully ran for office in November's election as Democratic candidates.

Laurel County teacher Dustin Allen, a former candidate, says he thinks Republicans are trying "to make everybody afraid to run again."

Republican Party of Kentucky spokesman Tres Watson said the requests weren't meant to intimidate. He says they are about "information gathering, whether government resources are used for political activity, and how widespread it is."