It's a Congressional race that has to fight for attention locally, but an estimated sixty percent of the population in Kentucky's Second Congressional District is in the Louisville television market.
From Shelby County on the east, Owensboro to the west, and Bowling Green to the south, the district is in 21 counties, including 12 precincts in southern Jefferson County's Heritage Creek area.
And, like much of Kentucky, in the last generation, this district has undergone a Republican transformation.
From the Civil War until 1994, the Second District was a Democratic seat. Since then, Republicans Ron Lewis and freshman Congressman Brett Guthrie appear to have locked it up for the GOP.
Yet, Guthrie says he is taking nothing for granted as he runs for a second term versus Democrat Ed Marksberry.
"We're going to work hard," Guthrie said, "We feel like the momentum across the country is a Republican momentum this year and really a reaction to what's going on in Washington DC with the majority and with the proposals the President's put forward."
Marksberry says he's in the race to give a voice to working class families. But he acknowledges that the political winds in 2010 are not blowing his way.
"A lot of our voters are uninformed. They get misinformation," Marksberry said, "They hear all the fear mongering and obstruction that's coming out of Washington, but they are tired of that. What they want is to see somebody who can get up there, work with the other side, and use that old word we haven't seen in a long time called 'compromise.'"
A key issue in federal races this year is health care reform. While Marksberry supports the Obama administration, Guthrie says if Republicans don't have the votes to repeal it, he will work to defund portions of the bill rendering them ineffective.
"I think (health care reform) is prolonging the recession," Guthrie said, "I think businesses are saying. 'I don't know how much it's going to cost me. Therefore I can't make the decisions.' You take the energy tax, the health care bill, the debt that comes from the stimulus bill, businesses are very scared about what the environment's going to be over the next year."
Both candidates are splitting from their respective party's U.S. Senate candidate.
Guthrie disagrees with fellow Republican Rand Paul on the federal role in fighting illegal drugs, saying he has spoken to Paul about the issue.
"I've taken a strong strand about where I believe.... what i feel about these multijurisdictional drugs," Guthrie explained, "We have state troopers, we have police, you have sheriffs officers working together to try to eradicate the drug problem. And, they are out on the front lines everyday and I support them 100%."
"I stand with (Jack Conway) except for on the tax cuts for the riches," Marksberry said, "That's the one issue that I really believe that we need to allow that to expire because, how is it that they always ask us as middle class families to sacrifice? Not only our money but our men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's time for the rich to also play a part of this recovery of our economy."
While Marksberry is actively campaigning, it is unclear how much of a threat he presents to Guthrie. A Federal Election Commission database shows that Guthrie's campaign has raised more than $1 million, but Marksberry is not reporting any contributions or disbursements.
