Why is Steve Beshear Advertising Now?

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has no primary, and yet he is campaigning like his electoral fate will be decided in weeks, rather than seven months.

This morning during the expensive a.m. drive-time block,, WJIE, a Christian radio station in Louisville, played a campaign ad by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear, who emphasized that Beshear is the son and grand-son of preachers. It was a bald appeal to the religious right.

Yesterday, Attorney General Jack Conway sent out an email behalf touting Beshear. It was an odd choice of an endorsement, given the shellacking Conway took from Rand Paul last November. Again, the timing is odd. If Beshear wants Conway to campaign for him (frankly, I'm not sure why he would), why do it now?

Republicans have a three-way primary for governor next month. Perhaps Beshear is attempting to influence the turnout and hence the outcome of the Republican primary.

Or maybe he feels the need to rehabilitate himself after the utterly useless special session that just ended under his trademark void of leadership.

Or Beshear senses that the religious right may be in play given allegations that David Williams likes to gamble and Richie Farmer's wife filing for divorce yesterday.

But the fact still remains: Beshear does not face an election for another half-year. It looks to me like he's just wasting money at this early juncture.