LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The race for Kentucky governor is heating up in its final month, and we're seeing stark differences in some of the latest poll numbers as well as campaign strategies to win over voters in Jefferson County.
In a November election that's getting national attention, Democratic incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear is seeking re-election, while Republican challenger and current attorney general Daniel Cameron is looking to unseat him.
The recent Emerson College poll suggests Beshear has a hefty lead, with four weeks to go. Surveying 450 Kentuckians, Emerson reported 49% of them say they'd vote for Beshear right now, while 33% said they'd vote for Cameron. Thirteen percent were undecided.
University of Louisville political science professor Dewey Clayton told WHAS11 that Beshear 'seems to be maintaining a slight edge,' though he admits 'all polls can be very fickle.'
"But then, they also can be somewhat of a snapshot of where people are and how the race is trending," he said.
This comes as the candidates make their final pushes, including with political yard signs.
WHAS11 went across town in Jefferson County on Monday, specifically to the eastern most points of the county.
In large areas of Prospect, Kentucky, where Republicans typically perform well, Beshear signs were seen consistently along U.S. 42 and neighborhoods near River Road.
We also found signs for Cameron in the area, though they were more spread out and more sparse.
"Even people who see them now are [likely] going to be thinking, 'Well, why now? Why didn't we see these earlier?'" Clayton said.
Instead, the Cameron campaign chose to start their blitz of Jefferson County this past Saturday, the exact one-month point to the election.
"It appears they are going to be trying to win this race outside Jefferson County," Clayton said. "It appears he has not spent most of his time, energy, money and ground work in Jefferson County. To me, that is the unknown at this point."
And as far as the poll, in a statement, the Republican Party of Kentucky pointed to the fact that Emerson College was off by 15 points right before the Republican Primary, which Cameron won handily. A spokesperson doubled down on the campaign's confidence, saying "Daniel Cameron will win on November 7th."
Experts tell us voter turnout will be a key metric to look at, as the percentage generally runs lower for non-presidential election years.
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