In Close Races, Local Issues Still Dominate

Against this ambiguous backdrop, Republicans and Democrats are pursuing two very different strategies in this region.

Republicans all seem to be reading out of the same playbook. To a person, they seek to localize the elections, and accuse Democrats of wanting to raise taxes and put liberals -- a bad word in these culturally conservative districts -- in charge of Congress. Voters are seeing a lot more of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in GOP-sponsored television ads than of President Bush.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, for instance, is hitting Democrat Brad Ellsworth -- an antiabortion and anti-gun-control candidate in Indiana's 8th District -- for helping support an "extreme liberal."

"How can he possibly stop their liberal agenda?" the NRCC asks in an ad blanketing the district. Similar ads are popping up in other races.

There is one hitch in this strategy. Unlike in some past elections, Democrats have picked the kinds of candidates who have shown that they can win in heartland districts. Their positions on abortion, same-sex marriage and other fault-line issues are often indistinguishable from Republicans'.

Ellsworth has jumped out to a double-digit lead over GOP Rep. John N. Hostettler while running ads that highlight his social conservatism. "I fit the district well," Ellsworth said when asked the secret of his success. "People appreciate my conservative values."

The Democratic strategy differs from district to district but features one common theme: a need for change.

That appeal takes many forms, but in the Ohio River Valley races it is focused especially on the nation's energy policies. Democrats argue that Republicans have sold out the country for campaign cash from oil and gas companies -- a move they say led to soaring prices at the pump.

"The government should not be subsidizing the most profitable corporations in the history of the world," said Cincinnati City Council member John Cranley, who is running against Rep. Steve Chabot (R). That argument might have been more effective, however, when gas prices were topping $3 a gallon. They have since dropped by almost a dollar in some places.

Particularly in the rural districts, Democrats and Republicans sound alike when discussing Iraq. They lament strategic errors but oppose a speedy withdrawal. But Democrats cite the war as evidence that a divided government is essential to imposing accountability on the White House.

In Kentucky, Ken Lucas, a former Democratic representative seeking to return to his old job, repeatedly criticizes first-term Rep. Geoff Davis (R) for voting with Bush more than 95 percent of time. "You can send a robot to vote the party line," Lucas said -- twice. Because the two candidates differ on few issues, Lucas said, his race is likely to come down to voters' desire to shake up Washington.

That anti-Washington message has real resonance in this part of the country, where anyone who carries a Washington aura -- including out-of-town reporters -- is viewed skeptically at first.

This is also a region where memories run long. Former Kentucky state Senate president Joe Prather is a case in point. Prather, the Democratic candidate in the 1994 special election in Kentucky 's 2nd District, refused to be interviewed last week because of lingering resentment about a story written by The Post 12 years before that he believes cost him the seat in Congress. Mike Weaver, the Democratic candidate in this year's race in that district, said he did not much trust the Washington media either.

Though the campaigns have been jousting for months, it is clear in interviews that, six weeks before Election Day, most voters are just starting to tune in. Good luck to those who want to tune out. In Louisville, where the television market reaches into three competitive races, it is not uncommon while watching the evening news to see a cascade of political ads, uninterrupted by pitches for cars or soap.

Back in Ohio, as in other places, the air wars have a partisan edge, often aimed at voters who insist this is not how they want elections to be waged. "I'd love to get beyond party lines and get things done," said voter Laurie Pitcock -- a wish not likely to be granted between now and Nov. 7.