For those in the Bluegrass State who thought the governor's election would end the political ad wars, television must be very disappointing lately. And it's about to get worse.

We wrote this morning on a report that Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell has already begun running television ads, more than a year before he faces voters in his bid for re-election. McConnell has been targeted for months by liberal group MoveOn.org for backing the war in Iraq and President Bush.

But MoveOn isn't the only outside group that's already involved in the race. Americans United for Change, a coalition of liberal organizations and labor unions, launched ads today hitting McConnell on his opposition to the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The group is spending $100,000 on the ad buy, after spending $200,000 on a round of ads earlier this year hitting McConnell on Iraq.

Earlier this week, AUC launched ads targeting Republican Reps. Joe Knollenberg (MI), Steve Chabot (OH), Ric Keller (FL), Sam Graves (MO), Randy Kuhl (NY) and Michelle Bachmann (MN) on the same topic.

Why target McConnell? A recent poll suggested he ran just five points ahead of Rep. Ben Chandler and Auditor Crit Luallen, but few believe that McConnell is seriously in trouble next year.

Still, liberal blogs, MoveOn and Americans United are three big groups, and if they help recruit a top challenger, Chuck Schumer's DSCC will have a hard time not investing in the race. The groups hope McConnell is some combination of 2008's Tom Daschle, who was successfully portrayed as a Washington insider to South Dakota voters, and George Allen, who was simply caught off guard. But given that McConnell is already on the air, he seems determined not to be surprised.