Washington Post featuring Weaver vs Lewis Ky 2nd District race

[Democrat 4 Ever]

This can't make Lewis a happy camper - he has been the front man for McConnell for so long that he has never even had to campaign. He ran on the concept of "Contract for America" BS back in the 90s, promised to term limit himself but now finds he likes the cushy life he and Kay have made at the corrupt corporation political trough and don't want to leave. The article does a brief background on Lewis but then goes on to do an extensive "bio" on Weaver. This seat was suppose to be safe - with a little work we could send Lewis home to Stephensburg.

Both Parties in Ky. Battle Try to Take Right Flank

By Jim VandeHei and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 21, 2006; Page A01

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky., Sept. 20 -- Mike Weaver, age 67, is a former Army colonel who said he knows what war is about. He'll tell you that if you ask, or if you don't. In fact, he rarely goes more than a few sentences without mentioning his military career. He's eager also to share his views on abortion rights: opposed. Or gun control: opposed. Or same-sex marriage: very much opposed.

Weaver is the Democrat in Kentucky's 2nd District. At first blush, that might seem like an advantage. There are 100,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in these precincts, home to tobacco fields and Fort Knox, south of Louisville. But for the past 12 years a good many of these Democrats have been happy to vote again and again for one of the most reliably conservative Republicans in Congress.

Rep. Ron Lewis, who used to own a Christian bookstore, has won seven straight elections -- most times without breaking a sweat.

Weaver is doing his best to make Lewis sweat this time. Weaver's campaign revolves largely around convincing even his fellow Democrats that he is conservative enough.

This is one of the places where the "Republican Revolution" began in 1994 -- before then, Democratic representative William H. Natcher held the seat for 40 years -- and it is a good window into whether the GOP reign will end in 2006.

It is also the first stop in The Washington Post's nine-day trek through nine congressional districts that sit on the dividing line between the upper South and the industrial Midwest. There is no place outside the Ohio River Valley where so many competitive districts are clustered in an unbroken line.

The rest of the story --- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092002048.html?referrer=email&referrer=email&referrer=email