While most people are keenly aware of the 2008 presidential race, there’s also a spirited race for governor in Kentucky that’s been pretty negative—with some of the harshest criticism involving religion in schools.

Former Kentucky Attorney General Steve Beshear, a Democrat, is facing incumbent Republican Ernie Fletcher, who is trying to hang onto his seat after a political-hirings-and-firings scandal that mired his first term. The two are in a tight race for the Nov. 6 election, with polls showing Fletcher may be trailing. Beshear is taking a political beating for issuing an opinion as Attorney General—26 years ago—enforcing in Kentucky a U.S. Supreme Court ban on displaying the Ten Commandments in schools. Take a look at school-themed ads here.

Beshear, according to media reports, responded to the ads by reminding voters of Fletcher’s scandal and accusing his opponent of not abiding by the Ten Commandments himself.

This ad is also a sign that Kentucky is a closely watched race on the national circuit. These attack ads are paid for by the Republican Governors Association, which felt the heat last year when Democrats took control of a majority of gubernatorial offices for the first time since 1994. Republicans surely don’t want to lose any more governors.