Politics

Election day is two weeks away, and with only one competitive Congressional race (6th District with Congressman Ben Chandler and Andy Barr) and no statewide races on the ballot, this year's politics will definitely be local.

Republicans are trying to take control of the state House this year. They need 10 seats to do so. Meanwhile, Democrats are trying to pick up a few Senate seats to bolster their slim minority. Below are the races to watch, by region, in these legislative contests. 

West Kentucky/Paducah

Louisville Metro Councilman Jon Ackerson is endorsing Democrat Teague Ridge over fellow Republican Marilyn Parker in the 18th District race.

Parker was backed by the Tea Party in the GOP primary and narrowly defeated Ackerson by 37 votes. The majority of council Republicans also supported Parker over Ackerson, citing that he sided with Democrats on key issues and could not be trusted.

Ackerson says he is not switching parties, but that Ridge will be more involved and that Parker’s views against council members' use of discretionary funds will hurt the district.

"She's not supporting using Neighborhood Development Funds in the district, and I think that's a huge mistake," he says. "With the Capitol Infrastructure Funds she's talking about allocating them in other districts other than District 18. And I think that's also a big mistake. I just don't think she's going to provide the quality representation that District 18 needs."

In a new television ad, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock will be the needed vote in the Senate to repeal President Obama's health care law.

The 30-second spot features Romney telling Hoosiers that Mourdock worked with outgoing Gov. Mitch Daniels to "balance the budget" and "make government more accountable" adding that his election will keep the Democratic agenda at bay. Romney has pledged that eliminating the Affordable Care Act will be one of his first acts if elected president, and the ad anticipates the Senate margin will be close.

"As Senator, Richard will be the 51st vote to repeal and replace government-run healthcare," says Romney.

Check it out:

As the fallout continues from the announced departure of statewide Medicaid operator Kentucky Spirit, many other Medicaid operators are already looking to take their place.

Kentucky Spirit announced last week they would break their contract with the state early. State officials say they won’t re-open those statewide contracts to replace Kentucky Spirit until the current contracts expire.