Polls indicate Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton will score a big win in Kentucky Tuesday over Barack Obama. Kentucky fits the demographic profile of those states where Clinton has fared well – it’s less educated, less affluent, whiter, and more rural than many states.

But there’s an undercurrent of race in this election – something many don’t want to talk about.

When Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, endorsed Obama two weeks ago, his Lexington office was flooded with negative calls. Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo also endorsed Obama, who attended a fund raiser for Mongiardo during his unsuccessful 2004 Senate race, and he’s received some negative criticism, too.

“It’s mixed feedback,” Mongiardo said. “Some of it I expected from those who have bought into Swift Boat attacks on the other candidates. But a few have said: ‘I can’t vote for a black man.’ ”

Jeff Hargis, a Democrat in Republican Pulaski County and an independent trucker and farmer, said race has nothing to do with his support of Clinton or his concerns about Obama.

“We’d be putting a man in the White House who is completely unqualified – he’s only had two years in the Senate,” Hargis said. “We basically don’t know anything about this guy.”

He’s also upset at the way national media are portraying white voters in Kentucky and West Virginia (where Clinton won handily) who don’t support Obama.

“I listen to the news,” Hargis said. “Basically, they’re saying the people in Kentucky and West Virginia are racist. But that doesn’t have anything to do with how I feel. We’re probably in the worst condition in this country that we’ve been in for 30 years, and we don’t want to put a greenhorn in. All he talks about is change.”