The Washington Post blog The Fix says the Republican Governors Association's attack ad targeting Democratic Governor Steve Beshear in the 2011 Kentucky gubernatorial election is meant to assess whether Republican challenger David Williams has a chance this November.On Monday, the group launched the 30-second commercial criticizing the governor's record in an effort to buoy Williams, who is trailing Beshear by 21 points in the latest poll.According to The Fix, the GOP group is using its $22 million war chest to test the proverbial waters and see if Kentucky's state Senate president is worth supporting later this year.From The Fix:On it’s surface, Kentucky is an interesting choice for the initial ad buy. Beshear seems to have all the momentum, and other races—including Washington, Montana and North Carolina—appear to be better GOP targets right now. But the RGA is flush with funds and can play in most any state it wants to right now.
Often, ad buys this early in the campaign are efforts to see if certain attacks can move numbers. If they can bring Beshear down and boost Williams a little, Republicans might have new hope to win the race.