Charlie Cook

Political analyst Charlie Cook recently upgraded Bruce Lunsford's (D-Louisville) chances against incumbent U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) on The Cook Political Report. Last week, the status of the race was changed from "Solid Republican" to "Likely Republican" due to Lundsford's ability and willingness to self-fund his campaign.

Cook writes: "Even though McConnell has raised an impressive $15.2 million for the cycle and is expected to run a flawless campaign, wealthy Democratic businessman Bruce Lunsford has made a $2.5 million down payment on his race, shifting the contest to the watch list."