A dramatically close election in Kentucky gives clues for both parties

A Democratic incumbent is running even with his Republican challenger. He’s trying to sell an optimistic economic message in the face of a slew of culture war attacks that the Republican hopes to ride to victory.

It’s not the 2024 presidential matchup. It’s the race for governor in Kentucky this fall — one that could serve as a bellwether for the messages both parties are selling as the presidential campaign season heats up.

The two candidates — incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron — will meet face-to-face on Saturday at the annual Fancy Farm picnic, an iconic event on the American political calendar that has long served as the unofficial start of general elections in Kentucky. But the election has already been blanketing the airwaves for months. Both parties have spent a combined $11 million on TV ads so far, and many of the messages there reflect the trends that will be all-too-familiar over the next year.

Those ads — along with the candidates’ five-minute speeches on Saturday — will serve as a test-drive for both parties’ strategies for the 2024 election.

Here are five questions the Kentucky race can answer about the next general election:

Can Democrats sell an economic message?

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Can Republicans ride the anti-woke message to victory?

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How bleak is it for Democrats in rural areas?

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Is there a general election where the abortion issue helps Republicans?