McConnell's a Target in 2008

CNN is reporting that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Republican with four terms under his belt as well as experience as the Senate Majority Leader and a wife, Elaine Chao, who is Secretary of Labor and the only original member of George W. Bush's Cabinet who is still in office, is being singled out by Democrats in his home state.

It seems that Kentucky's Democrats feel emboldened by winning the gubernatorial race this year against scandal-plagued Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher.

But there are some significant differences, and Democrats needn't feel that the Senate seat is theirs for the taking, even though about 57% of the registered voters in Kentucky are Democrats. Beating McConnell will require a lot of effort -- and a lot of money.

CNN's report indicates that Democrats are short of charismatic candidates to challenge McConnell, and they're just as short of well-to-do donors who can help with the financial needs of such a campaign. And McConnell hasn't had to deal with the kind of scandals that doomed Fletcher's re-election bid.

McConnell, meanwhile, appears to be well supplied with campaign funds as he prepares to run for his fifth term in the Senate.

According to National Journal's rankings, McConnell is more moderate on social issues and more conservative on economic and foreign policy matters. That's not necessarily a bad thing in a state where more than two-thirds of its citizens have annual incomes of less than $50,000 and about 16% of its population lives in poverty.