In Kentucky, Clinton aims for strong finish against Sanders

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hillary Clinton is putting up an unexpected fight in Kentucky, a state that her campaign had thought until recently might be out of reach in her primary race against Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

In advance of today's primary, Sanders also campaigned heavily in Kentucky over the weekend, and Clinton planned two additional days there full of campaigning, a sign that the campaign thinks it has a chance to stop Sanders from racking up an unbroken string of victories between now and the end of primary voting in June.

Oregon's primary also will be held today by mail-in ballot.

There is little recent public polling in Kentucky, but the Clinton campaign hopes to benefit from a different political environment than the one that greeted her in nearby West Virginia, a state she lost last week by 15 points.

For instance, Kentucky will hold a closed primary, shutting out independents who have favored Sanders in other contests.

The state's moderate Democratic leanings also may favor Clinton. She consistently has performed well among Democrats - even in West Virginia, where she lost overall to Sanders but won 49 percent to 45 percent among those registered as Democrats.

'She's a little more conservative,” said Sherry Baucom, 47, of Louisville, pausing to correct herself. 'Not conservative - a little less liberal than Bernie.”

Kentucky Democrats also still are reeling from conservative Republican Matt Bevin's victory in the governor's race last year. Bevin succeeded Democrat Steve Beshear, who was prohibited from seeking a third term due to term limits.

Beshear's legacy - especially his efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act in a Southern state - is closely tied to the pitch Clinton has made to voters: that she would continue President Barack Obama's policies.

'The thing I'm most proud of is right now in our state, for the first time in history, every single Kentuckian has access to affordable health care - the only Southern state to do it,” Beshear said at a campaign event Sunday. 'But we did it right. We're the model for the nation, and by golly, we're not going to let it go away, either.”

'Folks, those are the priorities of Hillary Clinton,” he added.