The former Marine fighter pilot defended a challenge by progressive candidate Charles Booker, a Black man, whose campaign garnered more attention as racial inequalities were pushed to the forefront of political discussion.
What We Know:
- McGrath seemed to have the race all wrapped up until national unrest following the death of George Floyd put Charles Booker in the spotlight. Booker raised almost $3 million in a few short weeks.
- Booker has been a fervent supporter of the movements to end racial injustice in America, even joining fellow Kentuckians at protests. His grassroots efforts shamed the idea of raising large sums of money to take down Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
- The delay in election results, a full week since Kentucky voters headed to the polls, as a result of the influx of absentee ballots due to COVID-19 fears.
- McGrath now faces a challenging race against McConnell, whose campaign already began taking shots. “Extreme Amy McGrath is lucky to have gotten out of the primary with a victory, but her reputation sustained significant damage all across Kentucky,” said Kate Cooksey, a spokesperson for McConnell’s campaign. “McGrath is just another tool of the Washington Democratic establishment who has no idea what matters most to Kentuckians. It’s clear this self-proclaimed most liberal person in Kentucky who supports government-run health care and abortion even in the ninth month does not represent Kentucky values. Amy, it’s great to have you.”
- McGrath called for unity among the Democratic party, which she believes is necessary for taking down the majority leader.
- “There can be no removal of Mitch McConnell without unity,” she said in a statement after her win. “He’s destroyed our institutions for far too long. A year after showing the country that Kentucky won’t hesitate to replace an incompetent and unpopular incumbent Republican like Matt Bevin, let’s do it one more time.”
A McGrath victory in the November general election would be a significant blow to Senate Republicans, not only by removing one of the party’s fearless leaders but also helping to take back the Senate for Democrats.
