KY-1

U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Hopkinsville) joined 132 fellow Republicans and 95 Democrats - including both from Kentucky's Congressional delegation - in opposing today's economic bailout package in a vote on the floor of the U.S. House.

In a statement released today, Whitfield said he "reluctantly decided to oppose" the legislation for several enumerated reasons.

Whitfield argued the $700 billion planned bailout "would weaken our government's financial status" by adding to the national debt.

Whitfield also took a statistical approach to the financial fluctuations, citing an recent FDIC report he said indicated "only 1.6% of our nation’s banks have a financial problem."

The structure of the bailout legislation itself was also criticized by the Republican from western Kentucky. Whitfield argued the package needed a "limit" on "overall executive compensation," while claiming the authority granted to the Secretary of the Treasury in the bill was "unprecedented."

1st Congressional District candidate Heather Ryan will open a campaign heaquarters in Ryan's hometown of Paducah next week - the first office the campaign will have in the district.

Ryan, a Democrat, is running a low-budget effort against incumbent U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, who has represented the 1st District since 1995.Heather Ryan (D-Paducah): Politicker photo

Her campaign nerve center will be located at 4509 Clarks River Road in Paducah. The office's grand opening is scheduled for August 21 at 5pm.

"Men, Women, Children and Check Books Welcome!" reads an invitation to the grand opening event dispatched by Ryan's campaign.

U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth's (D-Louisville) race for the 3rd Congressional District is still the only U.S. House campaign in Kentucky on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's list for targeted television ad buys, even after the list was expanded by 20 in recent days.

Yarmuth's re-election effort against former U.S. Rep Anne Northup (R-Louisville) was included in the DCCC's initial target list of 31 races, for which the organization aims to buy ad time in September and October. The DCCC reportedly allocated $659,000 for ad buys in the 3rd District.

The liberal news outlet Talking Points Memo reported yesterday that the DCCC had expanded their list to include 20 more races, but none of the additions are in Kentucky.

According to reports, the DCCC has now allocated a total of $53 million towards ad buys for the 51 targeted races.

As today's filing deadline for the second fundraising quarter passes, PolitickerKY.com has provided updates as numbers from candidates across the state become available. Below are links to our complete coverage, arranged by races.

US Senate:

Lunsford brings in $600K; $1.3M on hand

$3 million quarter and $9 million on hand for McConnell 

KY-1:

Whitfield stays over $1 million into 3Q

KY-2:

Drastically different financial pictures in KY-2 as Guthrie holds large cash-on-hand advantage 

U.S. Rep Ed Whitfield (R-Hopkinsville) has barely touched his $1 million-plus warchest, as his campaign's newest FEC report shows few expenditures to round out the second fundraising quarter of 2008.

The second quarter gave Whitfield a $33,628 bump up in cash-on-hand, as his coffers grew from $1,015,555 to $1,049,183.

Whitfield's campaign disbursed less in the second quarter than it did in the first, dropping just less than $22,000 from the end of March to the end of June - about a third of the camp's first quarter expenditures.

Kentucky's 1st Congressional District seat has been in the hands of U.S. Rep Ed Whitfield (R-Hopkinsville) since the Republican party's 1994 nationwide harvesting of Congressional seats. Then, Whitfield topped incumbent Democrat Tom Barlow by just over 2,000 votes. After winning his first re-election bid in 1996 by seven points, Whitfield has kept a firm grasp on the 1st District, never winning by less than 11 points.

This year, Whitfield faces Heather Ryan (D-Paducah) in November's general election in what may be an atypical challenge for the incumbent.

The Ryan campaign's presentation of U.S. Rep "Ed Whitfield" (R-Hopkinsville), right, and U.S. Senator "Mitch McConnell" (R-Louisville)

Heather Ryan's (D-Ryan) low-budget campaign effort in Kentucky's 1st Congressional District has taken a turn for the theatrical with the unveiling of two internet videos depicting her opponent, U.S. Rep Ed Whitfield (R-Hopkinsville), as a paper bag puppet. One video even features a cameo appearance from "Mitch McConnell," in the form of a sock puppet with half a set of dentures.

The two videos - entitled "Reprezentin" and "Fancy Farm Fandango" - are the first installments of the planned "Bag Eddie" series. While lacking in technical flair, the videos are a satirical effort to highlight some of the criticisms Ryan has made of Whitfield's voting record.

"Reprezentin" features the paper-bag "Whitfield" - given a gravelly, vaguely Eastern European accent by a puppeteer - lauding "big oil" and pharmaceutical companies in no uncertain terms.

Democrat Heather Ryan’s campaign in the 1st Congressional District sent out an eye-catching ‘E-Newsletter’ Friday morning.

The text reads: “As the Primary Election Approaches on May 20, REMEMBER: Every Time Someone Votes Republican, A Cute Baby Cries!”

The message is actually a fundraising plea for the Ryan campaign.

Clicking on “Please. Think Of The Babies” brings you to the ActBlue website.

Ryan, an outspoken Democratic activist, does not have a primary opponent in her challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield.