Brett Guthrie

Just eight days out from the general election, campaign news continues to pour in.

In the Senate race today, incumbent U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) was scheduled to make at least two more stops on his statewide bus tour, hitting Madisonvile and Owensboro. 

McConnell also added to his tally of newspaper endorsements this weekend, collecting the support of the Paducah Sun's editorial board, among several other endorsements.

In a Sunday editorial, the western Kentucky paper said McConnell's re-election "is essential if the political, social and moral principles held close by most Kentuckians are to continue to hold an effective beachhead in Washington."

McConnell's opponent, Bruce Lunsford, collected another endorsement of his own, this time from the American Hunters and Shooters Association.

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Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) in Radcliff today

RADCLIFF -- Former Democratic U.S. Sen. and Nebraska Gov. Bob Kerrey took to the trail today along with a slate of high-profile Democrats to campaign for Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville), 2nd Congressional District candidate and state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro), and other local Democratic candidates.

Kerrey ripped Lunsford's opponent - U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) - for a vote against the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act - or Webb G.I. Bill - of 2008. That legislation was an effort to provide funding for college costs to Iraq War veterans.

"I thought that bill would pass 100-0 in the Senate. Mitch McConnell was one of 22 that voted ‘no,'" said Kerrey at a rally in Radcliff. "I would not support Mitch McConnell just on that basis."

Calling Lunsford's race against McConnell the "most important election" in the country behind the Presidential election, Kerrey's appearance in a school gymnasium in Radcliff was one of several on the day he was making with Lunsford and Boswell and other local Democrats.

Kerrey also was one of several speakers in Radcliff to praise Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. At one instance, Kerrey said he had to "respectfully disagree" with comments made by Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.).

BOWLING GREEN - The local Democratic ticket was pushed heavily in Bowling Green today on the occasion of former President Bill Clinton's visit. A handful of high-profile Democrats took the stage in addition to Clinton, talking up the candidacy of Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville) and 2nd Congressional District candidate and state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) in particular to the hundreds of attendees in an airplane hanger at the Bowling Green-Warren County Airport.

In addition to Lunsford, Boswell, and Clinton, state Auditor Crit Luallen (D-Frankfort), Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo (D-Hazard), state House Speaker Jody Richards (D-Bowling Green) former Gov. Martha Layne Collins, former state party chair Jerry Lundergan and  current chair Jennifer Moore delivered remarks.

During his own brief speech, Boswell referenced the "change" mantra most of the Democrats on statge articulated.

The Owensboro Democrat targeted growth in the national debt during the Bush administration, and spoke of budget deficits as a primary problem.

"It's time for a change," said Boswell.

The 2nd District candidate also took an interesting tact in front of the crowd, differentiating himself from the keynote speaker on trade policy.

"While I agree with President Clinton about a lot of things, one of the great things about our wonderful dem that we live in is that we can agree to disagree," said Boswell. "I firmly believe that NAFTA was the wrong move for this country."

"Let's restore working America, ladies and gentleman," added Boswell.

State Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) continues to increase his lead over state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) in the race for Kentucky's open 2nd Congressional District, according to the latest figures from SurveyUSA. Guthrie is now shown to be nine points up over Boswell in a poll of 559 likely voters.

Conducted from Oct. 15 to Oct. 16, Guthrie increased his lead in polls from SurveyUSA by three points since a poll released in late September. Guthrie broke the 50 percent barrier in the latest poll, and he is shown leading Boswell 51 to 42 percent.

Seven percent of respondents remain undecided.

Guthrie gets the support of 22 percent of the Democrats in the district - where Democrats hold a registration advantage of 57 to 37 percent. Boswell gets 69 percent of his own party's voters, while nine percent are undecided.

At the same time, nine percent of Republicans fall to Boswell, while Guthrie holds onto 86 percent.

State Sen. Brett Guthrie's (R-Bowling Green) hometown newspaper, the Bowling Green Daily News, has again printed an editorial slamming the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's advertising efforts in Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District.

The latest editorial from the paper - circulated by Guthrie's campaign today - calls on Guthrie's opponent, state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro), to  "tell the DCCC to pull" the ads immediately.

The editorial echoes points made by Guthrie and his campaign about the DCCC's ads, which assert that the Republican's family company, Trace Die Cast, of Bowling Green, "shipped work to Mexico."

"The truth of the matter is that Trace had a contract to make a part and ship it to Mexico," reads the editorial. "All of the work was done at Trace Die Cast by employees of the company and shipped to Mexico and the part didn’t come back to Trace Die Cast."

"Mr. Boswell, who has been in politics for a long time, should no better than this [sic]," it continues. "He is allowing the DCCC, which knows nothing about the 2nd Congressional District in Kentucky, to run these ads that distort an American success story embodied in the Guthrie family."

National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Ok.) told PolitickerKY.com that Kentucky may play well on Nov. 4 for Congressional Republicans in part because of the effect Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) may have down the ballot, even as speculation abounds about the negative electoral climate for Republicans.

Cole is in Kentucky today for an event benefitting the campaign of state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green), who is seeking the open 2nd Congressional District seat. The NRCC chair particularly said Obama could negatively impact state Sen. David Boswell's (D-Owensboro) effort against Guthrie, though Boswell's campaign charged associations with the current administration were damaging to Guthrie in response.

"We certainly don't think that Senator Obama is going to run very well in the state and I think it's going to give an extra advantage to most of our congressional candidates," said Cole in a phone interview today.

"It really does vary state by state," Cole added of Obama's impact. "He just doesn't sell very well in conservative areas. There is a band of states that Obama is unlikely to do well in and is actually harmful down ballot to Democratic candidates. I think Kentucky is one of those states."

Cole speculated that Obama and other Democrats could be particularly cumbersome to Boswell's (D-Owensboro) bid to win the open 2nd District seat against state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green). That seat is open given the forthcoming retirement of U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis (R-Cecilia).

In 2004, the 2nd district gave President Bush his largest margin of victory of any of the Commonwealth's 6 congressional districts and Obama polls significantly behind in the western Kentucky region of which much of the 2nd is comprised.

Boswell has parried inquiries about Obama in the past, and his recent commercials do not tout his party affiliation, instead referencing his anti-abortion and pro-gun positions.

"We have a lot of Democrats who are busy in conservative areas trying to run away from both their nominee and their party, and I think Boswell is in that position," said Cole.

Gov. Steve Beshear (D-Lexington) will maintain a busy schedule this evening, hitting fundraisers in both Louisville and Owensboro, according to reports.

Pat Crowley of the Kentucky Enquirer reports Beshear will host a fundraiser for 23rd state Senate district candidate Kathy Groob (D-Covington) at Louisville's 21C Museum Hotel this evening.

Groob is engaged in an expensive battle for the northern Kentucky district held by state Sen. Jack Westwood (R-Crescent Springs), with Polwatchers recently reporting that Groob has already spent over $186,000 in the race to Westwood's nearly $62,000.

Beshear is scheduled to be in Owensboro tonight for an event benefitting another Democratic candidate - state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro), who is seeking the 2nd Congressional District seat against Republican state Sen. Brett Guthrie, of Bowling Green.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched its second ad on behalf of state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) today, again targeting his opponent in the 2nd Congressional District race on trade issues.

The thirty-second spot takes a similar tone to the DCCC’s first spot, which sparked a rapid reaction from the campaign of its target, state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green). That ad alleged Guthrie “shipped manufacturing work to Mexico,” and was labeled as “false and libelous” in a rebuttal from the Guthrie camp that led to one station temporarily pulling the ad until it was slightly recut.

The latest DCCC spot – part of a reportedly $840,000 reservation by the organization – again slams NAFTA as having “cost Kentucky over 14,000 jobs” and attempts to tie Guthrie’s family company – Trace Die Cast - to trade permitted by that deal.

“But Brett Guthrie and his company seem to be doing just fine,” says the ad’s narrator.

The ad then plays an audio recording from an August 25 candidate forum in which Guthrie explains the path a product manufactured by Trace takes after it leaves its Bowling Green facility.

“We actually have a product that goes from Bowling Green, Kentucky – our product – and this one goes actually to Queretaro, Mexico, gets put on a transmission, comes to North Carolina to go on an axle and comes back to Bowling Green to get put on a Corvette,” says Guthrie in the recording.

“Queretaro, Mexico?” says the narrator in a befuddled tone, as the name of the central Mexican state is displayed on-screen. “We need David Boswell, who will bring jobs to Kentucky.”

Candidates for federal office will close the books on third quarter fundraising at midnight tonight, meaning they are rallying for last-minute contributions from supporters to bolster their efforts going into the final month of campaigning.

"We need to file the strongest report possible, because our opponents, pundits, the press, and third party special interest groups looking to defeat Republican incumbents will review these reports to judge which campaigns are showing the most strength heading into Election Day," read an e-mail from the campaign of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville), signed by McConnell.

"We are $20,000 away from meeting our goal and it's essential that our third quarter report be impressive, because a good FEC report generates tremendous media coverage for the campaign, and helps future fundraising and grassroots efforts," read a similar appeal from the campaign of McConnell's opponent, Democratic businessman Bruce Lunsford, of Louisville.

The race between Lunsford and McConnell has tightened up in recent days according to new polls, but official fundraising numbers for the race have not been revealed since the last reports were filed in mid-July. At that time, McConnell showed around $9 million on hand compared to Lunsford's $1.3 million, with the caveat often uttered that Lunsford was capable of self-financing his own campaign.

With just over a month to go before the general election, noted national political analyst Stuart Rothenberg appears to be warming to the chances of two Kentucky Democrats embroiled in tough races.

Though he had declared the 2nd Congressional District race between state Sens. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) and Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) to be "over" if Boswell did not improve his financial standings against Guthrie, Rothenberg now holds that the recent investment by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in support of Boswell could swing the race.

Boswell is the beneficiary of an $840,000 DCCC ad buy and was recently added to the organization's Red-to-Blue list as a candidate in a race targeted for Democratic pick-up. 

"Now, with the DCCC's help, it looks like Boswell could win despite a cash disadvantage to Guthrie," wrote Rothenberg on Friday. "But Boswell's road is still tough, considering he will have to run well ahead of Obama at the top of the ticket because Kentucky was one of the Illinois Senator's worst-performing states in the Democratic primaries."