Indeed, Democrats are hoping to turn the Senate race into a referendum on an unpopular incumbent. But without McConnell on the ticket, the presumed Democratic nominee, Alison Lundergan Grimes, will face a much tougher foe in the fresh-faced Republican, some longtime Bluegrass State political watchers say.

It’s not that Bevin is any stronger than a generic Republican candidate. But in deeply red Kentucky, that’s all that’s needed. President Obama lost Kentucky by 22 points last year, and the older white voters who turn out in greater proportion during a midterm election will push the state even further to the right. In a race about issues – like climate-change regulations and Obamacare – a Democratic candidate who can be tied to the president stands little chance.

McConnell’s unpopularity is the sole reason Democrats hope they can win in a state otherwise hostile to their federal candidates. The Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling has called McConnell the least popular senator based on its surveys, while an internal poll from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee found an overwhelming majority of voters, 71 percent, don’t think he’s working to change politics in Washington.