Two days ago, cn2 released their newest poll numbers showing that with all the talk of debates, political advertisements, campaign contributors and so on, people still feel the same about the upcoming statewide elections that they did a couple of months ago.
The numbers indicate that we are heading for both a landslide and a low turnout, as long as those two things don't become mutually exclusive. If voters start to think that this election is predetermined, then the urge to vote will likely be diminished. As far as the gubernatorial race is concerned, the KDP probably feel as though Beshear has it locked up, no matter how low the turnout will be. However, its the down ticket races that could be impacted by Democrat voters who might become complacent.
Hence the bus tour featuring the governor and his down-ticket companions. Trying their best to keep the energy high among their base is vital if they want a sweep on November 8th. Beshear's second term would be a lot easier if he doesn't have a Republican attorney general and state auditor scrutinizing every move that he makes.
If the Democrats do win all of their statewide races next month, it will be very impressive not only because of the fact that Kentucky voters have shown over the past couple of elections that they are not as prone to vote a straight ticket as they used to be, but also because of the very conservative views of Kentuckians regarding the federal government.
In a presidential election that saw Barack Obama winning by a substantial margin nationally, he did very poorly in the state of Kentucky and will likely fare even worse come next November. Steve Beshear has gone out of his way to distance himself from Obama, the EPA and the political discourse in Washington, D.C. in general, but even so, there is something to be said for a candidates who dominates the political spectrum in such circumstances.
Of course, the off-year election is an important weapon for the governor and there is little doubt that the same election next year would be very different. But the most important weapon for Steve Beshear has probably been his opponent, David Williams himself. People don't like the man. The boost that the GOP hoped for by putting in a former sports hero on the ticket in Richie Farmer, ended up being of no benefit whatsoever. At least if Williams primary opposition Phil Moffett had won, the Tea Party would be fully mobilized for this election.
But alas, that is not the case and the method of running someone who has put in their time and earned their spot in line is something that the GOP might have to reconsider, especially after the success of Rand Paul's race for the senate.
The Democrats, however, are poised to have a full term of doing pretty much whatever they want in the state, especially if they can run the table. While there is no way for a party to hold every office indefinitely, there is something bigger at stake here. The Democrats can have all the time in the world to create the political infrastructure needed to challenge the GOP for the hold they have on Kentucky's U.S. Senate seats. McConnell may or may not be running in 2014, but don't think that the Kentucky Democratic Party isn't considering what an uncontested administration could do to make that prize a real possibility for some young Democrat on this current ticket. That's why a clean sweep is important for the Democrats, and that's why their current bus tour is a necessity for party with future plans in the state.
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