At the urging of former U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, she jumped into the House race against Barr, who had ousted Chandler in 2012. But she made the case that the longtime senator from Kentucky has prevented President Donald Trump from passing legislation that people in the Bluegrass State have supported, such as bringing jobs to Kentucky and lowering drug prices. Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath is suiting up to enter the 2020 U.S. Senate race against Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mitch McConnell," McGrath said. Who stops the president from doing these things? 1 University of Kentucky basketball fan. She brought no political experience to the race but carried a strong resume as a Marine fighter pilot with 89 combat missions, including bombings of al-Qaida and the Taliban. Beating McConnell, who has served in the Senate since 1985, won't be easy, she acknowledged. "I‘m doing this because I care about my country, and I care about Kentucky. "He never wrote back," she says in the video. But a last-minute visit by Trump helped Barr to victory by a little more than 3 percentage points. McGrath's name has been bounced around as a possible contender for the Democratic nomination since her failed 2018 attempt to knock off Rep. Andy Barr in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. "Amy McGrath lost her only race in a Democratic wave election because she is an extreme liberal who is far out of touch with Kentuckians," Golden said Tuesday. ", Report:Sen. Mitch McConnell's family owned 14 slaves in Alabama. "Being criticized for stopping the liberal agenda and confirming conservative judges, I love it," McConnell told reporters in Washington, D.C. after the June 26 debate. with a video posted to YouTube early Tuesday morning, Amy McGrath's Senate campaign brings in record money in first 24 hours after announcement, her failed 2018 attempt to knock off Rep. Andy Barr in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, 5 things to know about Amy McGrath vs. Mitch McConnell, Trump tweets Democrats 'coming after' McConnell as McGrath enters race, What to know about McConnell's Senate reelection bid in Kentucky, McGrath seeks to make president an ally after announcing McConnell challenge, Sen. Mitch McConnell's family owned 14 slaves in Alabama, Despite loss, McGrath could be pivotal in Kentucky Democratic politics, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Trump has a net approval in the state of plus 16 points, according to the polling firm Morning Consult. "I’m not doing this because, like I said, I want to be some politician," she said. McConnell has relished in being the “Grim Reaper” for House Democrats and liberal America, as a whole, killing off ideas coming from the House. ", The latest:Amy McGrath's Senate campaign brings in record money in first 24 hours after announcement. All rights reserved. As the Democratic “blue wave” became the center of attention for the 2018 cycle, McGrath appeared poised to defeat Barr. The Kentucky Republican will lean heavily into how his majority leader role benefits the state, while boasting about the success of giving the nation’s judiciary a conservative makeover since Trump took office in 2017. National Democrats, however, weren’t sold on the neophyte’s candidacy and recruited then-Lexington Mayor Jim Gray as their preferred candidate. McGrath has never held office, but she said on Tuesday's TV interview that shouldn't be held against her. Republicans, however, hammered McGrath relentlessly on abortion after she said: “I don’t think the government should be involved in a woman’s right to choose what is happening to her body.”. The opponent:What to know about McConnell's Senate reelection bid in Kentucky, Read:McGrath seeks to make president an ally after announcing McConnell challenge.