matt beven is running a positive campaign. >> matt beven's closest rival said, it's been the dirtiest. it looked like one, throwing food at each other. it's been a rough campaign. one candidate is accused of sexual battery, of attacking a woman. the other, this was a serious -- >> the cleanest of the bunch was matt beven. >> he only won 33 or 34%. it wasn't exactly a surge. and he stayed out of it. he cleverly -- wisely stayed out of the food fight of the two. >> a poll taken before tuesday's vote. beven got 36% going head to head with jack conway. the race is close, but conway is a mainstream democrat. >> howard's right, the big point here is the deep south has become very republican. >> this isn't the deep south, it's kentucky. >> i know. scheerer's done a great job, he's very popular among republicans and democrats in kentucky. he's a democrat from the rural area. conway is a city republican. remember rand paul blew him out in 2010. >> where was kentucky in the civil war? >> it stayed in the union, but it -- it stayed in the union and there was heavy battling and a lot of con feder

tea party favorite matt beven holds an 83 vote lead. each of the candidates has baggage.imary democrats will have a chance in the election. making this the most competitive election of 2015. this is a story about 2016. it's a reminder that kentucky isn't nessaerls a red state. it did vote for mccain in 2008. there are more registered democrats than republicans. the state's current governor is republican. kentucky has elected one republican governor in the last 40 years. kentucky is part of a group of unique states. they have deep democratic traditions but have swung hard to the gop in the obama years. there are states that democrats believe that they could put back into play in 2016. if they succeed in doing that it will change the electorial map. let me show you what i'm talking about here on the big board. this is between 2004 and 2008. 2004, john kerry was the democratic candidate. he lost the bush. 2008 barack obama beats mccain. did each county in the country get more democratic or more republican. if it was more favoritable to obama than kerry it's blue. if it's mor