Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) survived a serious Primary challenge to once again claim his party’s nomination. But the Governor starts the general election campaign as a 16-percentage point underdog. Former Lt. Governor Steven Beshear (D) leads Fletcher 51% to 35% in the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the 2007 Kentucky Governor’s race.

The remnants of a divisive Primary battle for Fletcher can be seen in the fact that he currently earns support from just 63% of Republicans. Twenty-five percent (25%) of GOP party voters plan to cross party lines and vote for the Democratic challenger. Beshear leads by eleven points among men and twenty points among women.

Just 15% of Kentucky voters have a Very Favorable opinion of Fletcher while 23% have a Very Unfavorable view. For Beshear, 17% have a Very Favorable opinion while 8% express a Very Unfavorable opinion.

Fletcher, elected in 2003 on a promise to "clean up the mess in Frankfort", was indicted a year ago in an alleged scheme to reward political supporters with protected state jobs. Fletcher called the indictment a political witch hunt and the indictment was dismissed in a negotiated settlement with prosecutors.

Beshear, a lawyer and veteran politician, has not had his name on a general election ballot since he lost a Senate race to Mitch McConnell in 1996.

President George W. Bush won Kentucky’s Electoral Votes twice by winning 57% of the popular vote in 2000 and 60% in 2004. President Bill Clinton won the state twice in the 1990s, but he never received more than 46% of the popular vote. Today, just 45% of Kentucky voters say that Bush is doing a Good (23%) or an Excellent (22%) job. Forty percent (40%) say he is doing a poor job.

Looking ahead to 2008, Rudy Giuliani (R) leads Hillary Clinton (D) 41% to 39% in a three-way race with Michael Bloomberg earning 13% of the vote as an independent candidate.

Rasmussen Reports provides ongoing updates of general election match-ups for all Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates. It also tracks favorability ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists along with public attitudes towards Congress, the War on Terror, and other topics.

Rasmussen Reports releases updated polling data on the Democrat Nomination Process every Monday and on the Republican contest every Tuesday. Results for the Generic Congressional Ballot are updated monthly.

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