Brett Guthrie

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.

While some national political analysts seem to be taking longer looks at Kentucky's U.S. Senate race between incumbent Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) and businessman Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville), others are speculating another potentially competitive race in the Commonwealth may be done before it has really started.

In an article posted on Roll Call today, political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District race "is over," unless state Senator David Boswell's (D-Owensboro) effort receives a major financial boost.

"Kentucky 2nd district hopeful David Boswell was promoted by some Democrats as a strong contender for retiring Rep. Ron Lewis' (R) open seat. Yes, said Democrats about the Owensboro-Bowling Green district, it's conservative, but the Democratic state Senator is a good fit for it," wrote Rothenberg today. "Well, Boswell's June 30 cash-on-hand total of $45,000 should end that talk. Republican nominee Brett Guthrie's $661,000 in the bank means that, barring a total turnaround of finances, this race is over."

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 

A fundraising advantage in the 2nd Congressional District race has been touted by state Sen. Brett Guthrie's (R-Bowling Green) campaign for months, but numbers reported today show just how dramatic an edge Guthrie has over his Democratic opponent, state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro).

Guthrie's campaign will enter the third fundraising quarter with over $661,000 in cash-on-hand, after raking in $363,554 in contributions in the second quarter.

"I continue to be humbled by the outpouring of support my campaign has received," Guthrie said in a statement released by the campaign. "I have said all along I intend to run a campaign the people of the Second District can be proud of, and we are on pace to do just that."

Boswell, on the other hand, reported closing the second quarter with just over $45,000 on hand - and over $18,000 in campaign debt.

State Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) has jumped on the air with a new radio ad blasting so-called “brain dead politics” as a contributor to high gas prices in the United States.

The candidate for the open 2nd Congressional District is up “across the district” with the ad, according to a campaign release.

During the ad – which clocks in at over a minute long – Guthrie targets “Washington” for failing to solve the gas price issue.

(Listen to the ad here, on Guthrie's campaign web site)

U.S. Rep John Yarmuth's (D-Louisville) first re-election bid may be helped by television ad buys funded the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the Associated Press is reporting.

The AP has obtained a list of 31 races being targeted by the DCCC, where a total of $35 million in advertising time in September and October has been reserved.

Yarmuth's bid to win a rematch against the woman he unseated in 2006 - former U.S. Rep Anne Northup (R-Louisville) - is included among the races of incumbents the DCCC appears most interested in protecting.

Yarmuth was initially on the DCCC's initial list of 90 seats targeted for pick-up or defense.

State Sen. David BoswellThe campaign of state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro) is hoping the recent poll lead their candidate showed in the race for the open 2nd Congressional District seat can translate into national support for their efforts.

"It has helped maintain this race as a winnable one in the eyes of the DCCC," said campaign manager Jim Cole, referring to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee - the national organization that helps elect Democratic candidates to Congress that initially targeted the 2nd District race as a possible Democratic pick-up.

A SurveyUSA poll released last week showed Boswell with a 47 to 44 percent lead over fellow state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green). Boswell's lead is within the margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent, while 9 percent of respondents were "undecided."

State Sen. Brett Guthrie: Campaign photoOne day after a new public poll from SurveyUSA showed it's candidate in a neck-and-neck race and two days after it released a memo warning against any public poll results, the campaign of state Senator Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) reiterated today they are not worried at this point in the campaign.

"Any survey taken in June, before either candidate has begun advertising - and shows 9% undecided - has no credibility," said Guthrie's campaign manager, Brian Smith, in an e-mail to PolitickerKY.com.

In the race for the open 2nd Congressional District seat, Guthrie was shown trailing state Senator David Boswell (D-Sorgho) 47 to 44 percent in the SurveyUSA poll of 545 "likely" voters. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent.

Smith's comments reinforce the Guthrie camp's belief that they have an advertising advantage in the race, based on a $300,000 second quarter fundraising estimate and a total of over $700,000 raised since January.

The first indication of the climate in Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District may offer a boost to Democrats holding out hope of picking up the seat left open by the retirement of U.S. Rep Ron Lewis (R-Cecilia).

A new poll by the New Jersey-based firm SurveyUSA gives state Senator David Boswell (D-Sorgho) a 47 to 44 percent advantage over his colleague, state Senator Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green).

Nine percent of the 545 "likely" voters polled indicated they were undecided in the race, while the poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percent.

The results come after Guthrie's camp dispatched a memo yesterday saying any public polling done now would be "unreliable."

Much of the noise from the open 2nd Congressional District race between state Sens. David Boswell (D-Sorgho) and Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) has revolved around financial expectations, and the case remains the same, as second quarter books close today.

Today, a memo circulated by Guthrie's campaign claims their candidate has rallied $300,000 in 2Q contributions.

The authors of the memo - strategist Scott Jennings and pollster Jan van Lohuzen - say the amount raised thus far offers a media advantage to Guthrie, arguing he "is in a financial position to be on the air long before his opponent."