Alex Isenstadt's blog

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) enters Tuesday with his political fate on the line, and without the help of a cash-strapped national Republican Party.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has not aired advertisements in support of McConnell in his tougher-than-expected battle against Democratic businessman Bruce Lunsford, and has no plans to launch a last-minute buy on his behalf, NRSC spokesman John Randall said Monday afternoon. The NRSC has faced a large fundraising disadvantage compared to their Democratic counterparts.

Randall did not discuss the internal committee discussions that led to the decision to stay out of Kentucky, only saying that the determination was an indicator of the confidence the committee had in McConnell's re-election bid and his ability to carry himself to victory.

WASHINGTON - Four years after the GOP successfully sunk the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, Democrats are giving Republicans the reverse treatment by going after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

For the last three weeks, national Democrats have barraged Kentucky media markets with television advertisements slamming McConnell (R-Louisville). The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's newest TV ad, out this week, shows McConnell as a delivery truck driver while a narrator says the Republican "backed George Bush's crazy spending and delivered a $10 trillion debt."

In a press conference today, DSCC Chairman Chuck Schumer was repeatedly pressed on whether the decision to target the opposing party's leader was proper. He responded that after Republicans succeeded in targeting then-party leader Tom Daschle in 2004, Democrats had a free hand to go after McConnell.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) might be in a dogfight to retain his seat on Nov. 4, but don't expect McConnell's No. 2 in the United State Senate to appear with him at any campaign events between now and then.

Aides to McConnell, the Republican minority leader, and U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who serves as minority whip, say that Kyl has no plans to campaign with the Kentucky Republican, who is trying to fight off a stronger-than-expected challenge from Democratic businessman Bruce Lunsford.

A Kyl aide said Friday that the Arizona Senator had spoken personally with McConnell in the last few weeks to offer his assistance on the campaign trail but had been turned down, with McConnell volunteering that no such help was needed, and that Kyl's time was better spent working on behalf of his fellow Grand Canyon State Senator, John McCain, in the closing weeks of the campaign season.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) confirmed reports that he was prepared to vote in favor of the financial rescue package coming before the House today, and he tried to swing some of the credit to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, whom he said had been instrumental in helping to sway his vote and others for the bailout.

“[Obama has] been very, very active in talking to the people who voted no and explained why he’s taken the position that he has,” Yarmuth said in an interview outside the Capitol.

Yarmuth, a freshman congressman who supported Obama in the primaries, said the Illinois lawmaker had been engaging in private conversations with Democratic members, reassuring them that his White House would work closely with Congress on the future steps needed to address the financial crisis.

WASHINGTON – Despite recent polls showing U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) with a solid lead over Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said today that Lunsford was in a strong position heading towards the fall.

Lunsford “is showing the ability to reach out to people on both sides of the aisle,” Schumer said at an afternoon press conference at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. “What we believe is that once people learn who Bruce Lunsford is…he’s going to beat Mitch McConnell. We think that this is a winnable race.”

Lunsford, a businessman who ran unsuccessful campaigns for governor in 2003 and 2007, is coming off a May 20 primary victory over businessman Greg Fischer. He faces an uphill battle in his challenge to McConnell, a fourth-term incumbent who is currently serving as Senate Minority Leader. A recent Republican-commissioned poll conducted after the primary showed McConnell with a 50 percent to 39 percent edge over Lunsford. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report currently categorizes the race as the “Likely Republican.”

Gov. Steve BeshearPHILADELPHIA -- Though U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign has said it has the potential to perform strongly in traditionally red-leaning areas, Kentucky’s Democratic governor today suggested that Obama (D-Ill.) had work to do in his state.

“I think Obama’s main challenge for Kentucky is just to get better known to our people. He really hasn’t been to Kentucky to speak or to campaign,” Gov. Steve Beshear said when asked of the nominee’s ability to make inroads in the Bluegrass State.

“I’m hopeful we can get him there several times this fall so that people will see him up close and personal. And when they do, they’re going to be impressed with him and when they’re impressed with him they’re going to vote for him.”

A Democratic state lawmaker running for Congress is being targeted by a new series of robocalls about gas prices from Freedom's Watch, the conservative-leaning advocacy group. The calls, which will begin today, will go out to residents represented by state Sen. David Boswell.

"Hi, this is an emergency gas price alert from Freedom's Watch. Did you know Kentucky gas taxes add more than 18 cents to every gallon of gas? 18 cents!" an announcer intones on the calls going out to voters in Boswell's district. The call then asks what Boswell is doing to address the issue. "Nothing," announcer says.

"If we can't depend on David Boswell to stand up for us today, when can we count on him?" asks the call targeting Boswell.

Freedom’s Watch, the conservative 527 organization, is launching about three dozen robocalls over the next week targeting U.S. House members across the country, including a vulnerable incumbent in Kentucky, PolitickerKY.com has learned.

The target list for the robocalls includes Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth among a host of other members of Congress

The calls start off by reminding recipients of current gas prices and emphasizing how the prices affect the cost of food. The calls also stress the potential for domestic drilling and mention that the member in question has voted against oil exploration on the continental shelf.

After Freedom’s Watch launched in 2007 it initially focused its efforts on conveying a national security-focused message. But the new robocalls underscore how the organization is switching to a more economic-focused message.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is seizing on comments Barack Obama made at a San Francisco fundraiser that residents from small towns in Pennsylvania are “bitter,” and is trying to use Obama’s words against congressional Democrats, including Pennsylvania Reps. Jason Altmire and Chris Carney, and Kentucky Rep.  John Yarmuth.

WASHINGTON -- When Arizonans opened the pages of the Arizona Republic on Veterans Day in November, there was a good chance they saw a full page advertisement taking aim at Democratic U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell for his vote in support of a bill that included a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. The advertisement featured a letter from injured Iraq veteran Andrew Robinson, pictured seated in a wheelchair.