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Yet if the go-it-alone style of Mr. Bevin, 48, is rattling Republicans, Mr. Conway, 46, is not exactly exciting Democrats. Party leaders praise him as smart and steady, but his shy nature makes voters think he is aloof; friends say he is happier talking policy than politicking. His big challenge is to distance himself from President Obama, whose health care law and efforts to regulate the coal industry make him hugely unpopular here. (Stolberg, 10/30)

Though Kentucky has become reliably Republican in federal elections, Democrats have won every governor’s race except one since the 1970s, aligning themselves with an electorate that generally is centrist on economic issues and conservative on social ones. The state’s creation of a health-insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act has been popular, while polls show a majority of Kentucky voters remain opposed to gay marriage. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state, 1.7 million to 1.3 million, but the GOP has made gains. (Campo-Flores, 10/30)

Kentucky has drawn interest not only for having an open gubernatorial seat but for being one of only a few states in the country where political power is divided. Democrats control statewide offices and the state House, while Republicans dominate the state Senate and the congressional delegation. The governor's race has turned into a referendum on President Barack Obama's signature health care law, and the results could affect the health insurance of more than half a million people. Beshear used an executive order to expand the state's Medicaid program to cover an additional 400,000 Kentucky residents and create a health exchange, where more than 100,000 people have purchased discounted health plans with the help of federal subsidies. (11/1)