Kentucky Democrat announces challenge to McConnell | TheHill – The Hill

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Retired Marine and previous Democratic congressional candidate Amy McGrath on Tuesday announced that she is launching a 2020 challenge against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGraham open to investigating Acosta-Epstein plea deal Gabbard defends Biden as Harris defends non-mandatory bussing Kentucky Democrat announces challenge to McConnell MORE (R) in Kentucky.

McGrath released a three-minute campaign video, titled “The Letter,” that depicts her and other Kentuckians writing letters to their senator with concerns about health care, jobs and affordable college that were ignored. 

“Everything that’s wrong in Washington had to start some place. How did it come to this?” McGrath said in the video. “That even within our own families, we can’t talk to each other about the leaders of our country anymore without anger and blame.”

She said McConnell “was elected a lifetime ago” and has “bit by bit, year by year — turned Washington into something we all despise.”

McGrath also claimed that “budgets and health care and the Supreme Court are held hostage” in a Congress led by the Republican leader who has been in the Senate since 1985.

“A place where ideals go to die,” she added.

“The challenge of today is inside each of us. How do we reconcile our belief in basic human decency with our anger at those who block progress at all costs?” McGrath asked in the campaign video. “There is a path to resetting our country’s moral compass, where each of us is heard and we can become, once again, the moral and economic leader of a world in disarray.”

McGrath was one of the most prominent Democratic congressional candidates during last year’s midterm elections. The former fighter pilot was one of the top fundraisers of the cycle and narrowly lost her bid to unseat Rep. Andy BarrGarland (Andy) Hale BarrKentucky Democrat announces challenge to McConnell Democrats set to use McConnell’s legislative graveyard against him 58 GOP lawmakers vote against disaster aid bill MORE (R) in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District.

Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerSenate Democrats launching digital ads against GOP senators on ObamaCare lawsuit Susan Collins says she doesn’t regret Kavanaugh vote ‘in the least’ The national security risk no one is talking about MORE (D-N.Y.) reportedly met with her at Democratic Party headquarters earlier this year to pitch her on the idea of launching a Senate bid against McConnell.

Kevin Golden, a spokesman for McConnell’s re-election campaign, knocked McGrath as an “extreme liberal who is far out of touch with Kentuckians.” 

“Comparing President TrumpDonald John TrumpGraham open to investigating Acosta-Epstein plea deal Sustaining progress with Mexico on migration Government to issue licenses for business with Huawei MORE’s election to 9/11, endorsing a government takeover of healthcare, and calling the wall ‘stupid’ is a heckuva platform that we will be delighted to discuss over the next sixteen months,” Golden said in a statement. 

Jesse Hunt, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, mocked McGrath’s entry into the race.

“Amy McGrath blew a suburban KY House race in 2018 despite spending huge amounts of money. Statewide in 2020 against @Team_Mitch will be infinitely more difficult,” Hunt wrote. “Why? She’s still the same person who called herself ‘the most progressive person in Kentucky.’”

–Updated July 9 at 10:12 a.m.

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/452117-kentucky-democrat-announces-challenge-to-mcconnell

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