Summary
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is unpopular back home, but that doesn’t mean voters will turn him out in a state Donald Trump carried by 30 points in 2016. The leading Democratic candidate is Marine veteran Amy McGrath, a failed 2018 congressional candidate who is raising tons of money from donors eager to beat McConnell.
We think the Republican candidate will likely win the U.S. Senate race in Kentucky.
Politico 4/19/2020.
OnAir Post: Kentucky – US Senate 2020 Election
News
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the chief congressional ally of President Donald Trump, defeated his Democratic challenger to capture a seventh term Tuesday and build on his legacy as Kentucky’s longest-serving U.S. senator.
The 78-year-old McConnell won handily against Democrat Amy McGrath, a retired Marine combat pilot. McConnell played up his decades in the Senate as an asset for Kentucky while McGrath portrayed the veteran politician as personifying everything that’s wrong with Washington.
McConnell declared victory with his wife, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, at his side.
Democrats have been trying to unseat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for years, but they haven’t been able to do it.
Among the challenges they face is Kentucky’s conservative skew and the solid base of support McConnell has as a result. By emphasizing the funding he’s been able to bring back to Kentucky for projects like a veterans affairs medical center in Louisville and stressing how his prominent position benefits the state, McConnell has also made a case for his reelection that continues to resonate with many voters.
According to a recent Mason-Dixon poll, McConnell leads Democratic challenger and former fighter pilot Amy McGrath 51 percent to 42 percent — a gap that experts see persisting. “I would describe the race as generating a lot of media and public interest, but not actually competitive,” Anne Cizmar, an Eastern Kentucky University government professor, told Vox.
Lexington Herald Leader , – October 21, 2020
A new public poll shows U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leading Amy McGrath by 9 points in Kentucky with just two weeks to go before Election Day.
The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon, surveyed 625 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. It found that 51% of likely voters supported McConnell while 42% favored McGrath. Another 4% supported Libertarian Brad Barron and 3% were undecided.
Among the respondents, 41% said they were Republicans, 28% said they were Democrats and 27% said they were independent.
The Ensign – October 13, 2020 (58:10)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHWPrA_H5Kc
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leads challenger Amy McGrath by 15 points in a poll released Tuesday by Morning Consult.
McConnell leads McGrath 52% to 37% with 86% of GOP voters favoring McConnell. McGrath is favored by 5% of GOP voters, according to the poll.
The new poll indicates a growing lead for the Senate majority leader over his Democratic challenger. A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday showed McConnell with a 12-point lead, while another Quinnipiac poll released in August showed McConnell with a slimmer lead of just 5 points over McGrath.
Business Insider, – September 21, 2020
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will face Democrat Amy McGrath, a 2018 US House candidate, in Kentucky’s 2020 US Senate election.
- McConnell is one of the most high-profile politicians in the country and one of the most reviled among Democrats, helping McGrath raise an eye-popping $46 million for her campaign so far.
- Despite McConnell’s unpopularity among Democrats and her own strong fundraising, McGrath is still unlikely to defeat the majority leader, who has held his US Senate seat since 1986.
USA Today, – September 19, 2020
Record-breaking money poured in from the political left to Democratic candidates after the death Friday of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as Democrats braced for a nomination fight before the presidential election and looked to build momentum for a Senate takeover.
The fundraising energy set off a debate within the party.
As some sought to boost Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath in her uphill reelection challenge against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, others said the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Inside Climate News, – September 9, 2020
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who led the congressional resistance to what he’s called “President Obama’s war on coal,” has been in lock step with the Trump administration’s agenda to promote fossil fuels and relax environmental regulations.
- Amy McGrath, a retired Marine fighter pilot and McConnell’s challenger in November, views climate change through the lens of her military background, seeing it much as the Pentagon does, as a national and international security threat. She likes the Biden climate plan, the most aggressive put forward by any Democratic or Republican Party presidential nominee in history, but says she still has questions about it.
- McGrath has raised tens of millions of dollars, giving her an opportunity to compete against McConnell, who has also raised tens of millions of dollars.
The View – July 24, 2020 (03:25)
Mitch McConnell
Current Position: US Senator since 1985
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2020 US Senator
Senator McConnell has served, again by the unanimous vote of his colleagues, as the Republican Leader since the 110th Congress. He is the longest-serving Senate Republican Leader in the history of the United States.
McConnell has been called “the most conservative leader of either party in the history of the Senate.” He has also earned a reputation as a “master tactician” for permanently locking in critical tax relief for working families and small businesses, and putting in place the most significant spending reduction legislation in a generation.
For more information, see this Mitch McConnell post.
Amy McGrath
Current Position: US Senator
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position(s): retired US Marine Corps
Amy McGrath, a retired US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel raised in Kentucky, is running for the US Senate to fix Washington and give Kentuckians back their voice.
“I’ve always been somebody who stepped up to the plate when asked, when I felt like my country needed me, and this is one of those times…”
For more information, see this Amy McGrath post.
Issues
Civil Rights
AMY MCGRATH
Guns
We have to do something about this. There are some commonsense things that most gun owners and most non-gun owners actually agree on, and we haven’t been able to get it done. Why? The gun lobby.
Arguably, the greatest barrier to making progress on so many issues comes down to the power of the special interests. Think about what the oil and gas industry have done to stop efforts to tackle climate change, or the power of Big Pharma on drug prices. The gun lobby is arguably the most powerful of all special interests.
The gun lobby’s mere ability to stifle any reasonable efforts toward tackling the epidemic of gun violence is the greatest obstacle we face in dealing with gun safety and strong policing of existing laws. When it is able to implement a 22-year long freeze on the CDC’s ability to study the problem from a public health standpoint, it is preventing us from even having an informed starting point for discussions.
As a nation, we desperately need to have a conversation about guns. Beyond common sense measures Congress should have enacted long ago, like background checks, we need an honest conversation about what we are willing to tolerate as a nation. We also need senators who have some credibility from both sides of this debate, who haven’t sold their political soul to the special interests, and who respect rural culture and its unique relationship on this issue.
MITCH MCCONNELL
N/A
Economy
AMY MCGRATH
Securing our Economic Future
For all of its beauty, Kentucky has its share of economic problems—problems that threaten our future and the future of our children. In the face of rising inequality, economic strife, and lack of opportunity, our middle class is shrinking and the American dream is increasingly out of reach.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has been in office 35 years and has the seniority to address these problems, doesn’t have the answers. Despite his role as majority leader, much of the Kentucky economy—and the infrastructure it depends on—has long been ignored. We have a senator who says “no” to everything Kentuckians need. Sen. McConnell voted against raising the minimum wage at least 20 times while voting to raise his own taxpayer-funded salary six times. To top it off, he passed a tax bill that featured massive giveaways to the wealthy and large corporations—giveaways that will increase taxes on 53 percent of Americans by 2027, according to the Tax Policy Center.
That is inexcusable.
Here in Kentucky, we need empathic, clear-eyed leaders who are willing to make the hard choices to better serve the great people of this state—people known for their hard work, their energy, and their drive. We need leaders who know how to say “yes” to making Kentucky strong for all Kentuckians—not just the rich and powerful. We need leaders who say “yes” to raising the minimum wage, “yes” to investing in underserved communities, and “yes” to funding for badly-needed infrastructure improvements. I will be that kind of senator.
INFRASTRUCTURE
From the crumbling Brent Spence Bridge in Kenton County, to the ailing water system in Martin County, to the lack of broadband internet access in rural Kentucky, our state badly needs new investments in infrastructure to grow a strong economy of the future.
ROADS & BRIDGES
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave Kentucky a D+ for road conditions, C- for our bridges, and a C+ for drinking water. This is unacceptable. Without major, purposeful investments in our aging infrastructure, we will struggle to keep up with the rest of the country. To recruit new businesses and sustain the current economy, we need to do much better.
MAKING BROADBAND MORE ACCESSIBLE
Up to a quarter of Americans live without a broadband connection, but Kentucky’s internet speeds are nearly the slowest in the nation. Up to 80 percent of some rural residents—like those in Hancock and Lyon counties—do not have access to a single broadband provider. This lack of high-speed internet or no internet at all has left rural Kentuckians with significant barriers to economic development, education, and higher overall quality of life. We need high-speed internet in every corner of Kentucky to sustain our current industries and attract new ones.
MAKING THE ELECTRICITY GRID SMARTER
The electricity grid is the backbone of our economy, our national security, and our way of life. But our grid is aging rapidly. If we do not improve it, it will become more vulnerable to disruption from power outages, terrorists and hackers. To be able to compete in the 21st century, we must have reliable electricity, broadband and security. We must upgrade our grid infrastructure.
MITCH MCCONNELL
More debt, more spending, higher taxes, and growing the size of government clearly has not worked. We must get government out of the way to unleash economic growth.
Education
AMY MCGRATH
INVEST IN OUR KIDS
Only 50% of Kentucky kids arrive at Kindergarten ready to succeed in school. This has far-reaching effects, well into high school, college and career. To give young Kentuckians the best shot in life, we must:
- Provide universal access to free pre-K or Head Start so that every child has a high-quality early education experience.
- Children who attended Head Start pre-K have a higher likelihood of graduating high school, attending college and receiving a post-secondary degree, license or certification.
- Children who attended pre-K have better behavioral outcomes and better social-emotional skills.
- Fully fund public schools. All our schools need to be fully staffed and have access to the resources and the technology necessary for every child to have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or where they live. Taxpayer money should not be diverted to private or charter schools.
- Invest more broadly in creating access to affordable broadband via a 21st century equivalent of the Federal Aid Highway Act, which created the interstate highway system, so that every student has the ability to learn and work effectively from home. Expanded broadband will give Kentuckians in rural areas access to online higher education opportunities that they are currently not afforded and will expand the availability of university-based medical, dental and legal services across the commonwealth.
- Fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure that schools can increase support staff and reduce class size and caseloads when delivering services to students with disabilities.
- De-emphasize standardized testing results when evaluating both students and schools. The misplaced weight put on standardized testing has led to an increased amount of “teaching to the test” with less time and fewer resources devoted to ensuring a positive learning environment for every child and teacher.
- Provide the needed funding to close the estimated $23 billion funding gap between majority white and majority non-white school districts
- Create grants for the explicit purpose of helping our poorest school districts invest in infrastructure updates so that every child can go to a school with functioning HVAC systems, clean water, functioning internet and computers
MITCH MCCONNELL
N/A
Environment
AMY MCGRATH
Climate change and resource scarcity are with us today—we already have climate change refugees in America. Scientists around the world know it, and the United States military is already testing, adapting, and researching how to operate and succeed in these rapidly changing environments.
Our naval bases around the globe are seeing the effects now. In the past 10 years, nine major floods crippled Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Key West Naval Air Station (where I learned to dogfight in the F/A-18) will be almost completely under water in the next 80 years. Weather patterns are changing as well, with tragic effects.
SEEING THE EFFECTS NOW
We are seeing hurricanes, floods, and fires in ways we’ve never seen before. Large parts of the world (the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia) are experiencing dramatic desertification at an alarming rate. This means less food will be produced and large migrations of people will be forced out of the lands they occupy today. In the 20th century, we fought wars over values or economic clashes. In the 21st century, it will be over water and resources.
This is the world we will live in. This is the world our children and grandchildren will face. This is an American issue and a global issue. We need leaders that get it.
MITCH MCCONNELL
Our children deserve every opportunity to succeed. To improve the quality of education, we must provide choices to students and parents, and make more decisions at the local level.
Governance
AMY MCGRATH
Clean Up Washington
Too often our government seems to work only for the wealthy and well-connected, while the interests of ordinary Kentuckians remain ignored.
Our government and its leaders should be open and transparent. Secret money in political campaigns undermines trust and confidence, and is not consistent with democratic values. An election system that effectively allows for unlimited contributions from corporations and lobbyists is a breeding ground for corruption. While some unethical politicians manipulate this system for personal gain, even leaders with good intentions must seek larger contributions from any source, simply to keep up. It’s a runaway train and it’s racing away from integrity in government. This is the swamp Sen. Mitch McConnell has built.
People are fed up with watching the Senate look the other way while its members sell power to special interests for campaign contributions and for their own profit. They’re fed up with a Senate that passes and upholds laws that benefit only the senators themselves and their families. And, they’re fed up with a Senate that is supposed to serve the people but is unwilling to roll back its own exclusive perks even as working Americans are forced to do more with less. It’s time to change all that.
UNLIMITED POLITICAL MONEY AND ITS DAMAGE TO DEMOCRACY
During the last election cycle, around 70 percent of the total funds came from contributions by less than one half of one percent of the U.S. population. That’s staggering.
The question is, what does this do to our democracy? I see three major effects.
First, large undisclosed, unlimited corporate donations directly undermine the wants and needs of ordinary, hard-working citizens. Because of these donations, special interest groups hold enormous influence over politicians at the expense of real people. This means that ordinary citizens who cannot throw millions at candidates to buy influence face higher prescription drug costs, lower wages, and weak consumer protection—the list goes on and on.
Second, the amount of money flowing through politics forces members of Congress to constantly raise even more money for their next campaign. They spend up to 70 percent of their time fundraising. That leader you elected to represent you, to understand the issues, to meet with you, to attend hearings in overseeing the executive branch (as per the Constitution of the U.S.), and who is paid $174,000 to do so, is only spending an estimated 30 percent of their working time actually working for you. The bulk of their time is spent fundraising.
Third, elected offices are primarily held by those who cave to special interests or are millionaires themselves. The cost of political campaigns has skyrocketed in the past two decades. This makes running for office almost completely out of reach for anyone who is not a millionaire, does not come from a family of politics, and is not bought by special interests.
TO CLEAN UP WASHINGTON, WE NEED TO:
- Limit unrestricted dark money and increase transparency by requiring the disclosure of donors to any organization that spends money in elections.
- Work to end Citizens United.
- Put an end to “senator” as a lifetime career by implementing term limits.
- Stop the “revolving door” between elected office and lobbying that allows special interests to buy the power of an elected official.
- Fight to end “Cadillac benefits” designed by elected officials only for them.
- Require release of complete federal tax returns by members of Congress, the president, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Court.
MITCH MCCONNELL
N/A
Health Care
AMY MCGRATH
I believe health care should be affordable and accessible to all Americans. In the same way that basic education is the foundation of a strong country, health care affects our nation’s competitiveness and security. As the mother of three young kids, a Catholic, and the daughter of one of the first women to graduate from the University of Kentucky medical school, it’s a deeply moral issue for me. Kentuckians need affordable health care coverage they can rely on.
STOP UNDERMINING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Too many people have been priced out of health care while Washington politicians like Sen. Mitch McConnell fail to fix what is broken with our health care system and actively undermine what protections we have. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is far from perfect, but through Kynect and expanded Medicaid, it enabled many Kentuckians—especially those with pre-existing conditions—to get affordable health insurance for the first time.
As a result of the ACA, the uninsured rate in Kentucky dropped to 11 percent from 20 percent. But Sen. McConnell still pushed to pass a repeal bill without replacement legislation that would have stripped health care coverage from up to 22 million people. And he did this all while taking in over more than $1.1 million in donations from the health care industry over the past 30 years.
Overwhelmingly, doctors, nurses and health care organizations in America have opposed Sen. McConnell’s efforts to repeal the ACA without a replacement. I remain committed to working for a bipartisan plan to fix the ACA’s problems, while maintaining current essential health benefits, preventing insurers from charging higher premiums based on factors such as health status or pre-existing conditions, and without imposing annual or lifetime coverage caps.
BIPARTISAN SOLUTIONS FOR AMERICA’S HEALTH CARE
We have to be honest that the ACA falls short of where America’s health care system should be. My mother was a practicing doctor for 40 years and I saw her frustration with the power of insurance companies and with the associated rising costs. We can do better in this country—and we must.
I firmly believe that the goal must be universal coverage for all Americans, but we need to be honest about how to get there. A single-payer system would require such a sweeping overhaul of our health care system that it would throw our system into massive upheaval. Since we are not starting from scratch and we have to work with the system that we have, I do not currently support such an approach.
Every major piece of legislation in our country has needed fixes along the way: Social Security and Medicare were not created perfectly. And as we have fixed and revised these programs so necessary to our American way of life, we have also expanded opportunities and overcome challenges in every generation. In each case, we didn’t quit simply because it was hard and the answers weren’t clear at the start. Instead, we redoubled our efforts, worked together, and found ways around obstacles. That is the American way. We work over time—in the words of the Constitution itself—to make our policies “more perfect.”
We must address rising premiums and deductibles, and the rising cost of prescription medications without limiting access to affordable health care. This is critical, and there are some realistic ways we can do that.
PUBLIC OPTION
A public option would give all Americans the opportunity to buy a publicly run insurance plan instead of a private insurance plan, if they prefer to do so. With some people still unable to afford coverage and many more paying too much for the coverage they have, we must increase competition among existing carriers. A public option would lower premiums—since the goal would not be to make a profit—and would guarantee that in those counties with just one or two insurers, rates would not artificially spike with a lack of competition. This also gives people more choices: no one would be forced to go with a government-run plan, but it would be there if Americans wished to choose it.
MEDICARE BUY-IN
I support a Medicare buy-in option for those over the age of 55. This would provide some peace of mind for more vulnerable Americans who have some of the greatest health care needs while lowering premiums for those under 55.
LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
The average Kentuckian spends over $2,000 annually on prescription medications—the second highest in the nation. Sen. McConnell has a long history of repeatedly blocking solutions that would address this problem, including legislation that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
While blocking this legislation, Sen. McConnell has taken in more than $1.5 million in campaign cash over the past 30 years from Big Pharma and the health industry and was the number one recipient of Big Pharma cash in his last election.
I will not be bought off by Big Pharma. I will work to rein in prescription drug costs for my fellow Kentuckians by taking on the pharmaceutical industry, exploring new options like re-importation, and allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
Opioid Crisis
Our friends, family and community members are dying at alarming rates across the nation from the opioid crisis. From 1999 to 2017, more than 702,000 people died from a drug overdose in the U.S. By comparison, we lost 58,000 soldiers in the Vietnam War. This is a public health crisis and a huge national problem that needs a multi-level response.
Lawmakers need to start being honest about investments that will be needed to tackle this drug crisis in areas of research, prevention, treatment, and recovery. Experts believe we need to invest at least $45 billion over 10 years to actually improve outcomes. Sen. McConnell has only secured a fraction of the amount needed. He is throwing pennies at a major epidemic and giving us lip-service from Washington.
Along with being a public health and moral issue, this is a workforce issue. Individuals who are struggling with addiction could be working to support their families and communities—they need help. A 2017 report by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce found that the state’s high rate of opioid prescriptions drives Kentucky’s low workforce participation rate and makes it harder for employers to fill available jobs.
Substance abuse also drives chronic homelessness. We need to scale successful programs like Recovery Kentucky—a program that provides housing and addiction support services—to the national level. These programs save the state’s taxpayers millions of dollars in emergency room bills and jail costs.
The federal government ought to be supporting similar programs as part of a comprehensive declaration of emergency to fight the opioid epidemic. We also need to expand funding for Health and Human Services to expand research for better treatments.
The time to act is now before we lose more lives to this disease. I will work to make sure Congress starts making real investments at the federal and state level to end this crisis.
MITCH MCCONNELL
Obamacare has been a disaster for our country—it has raised premiums, reduced choice, and impaired quality of care. It must be repealed and replaced with sensible, step-by-step reforms.
Immigration
AMY MCGRATH
These are not economic migrants simply seeking the American Dream, but rather fleeing for their lives, and those of their children, and seeking our protection. They made the life-threatening decision not to give in to the drug cartels and gangs, and instead left their homes with whatever they could carry on their backs.
I traveled to El Paso, Texas, to tour an ICE facility and met a young single mother who made the incredibly long journey from Guatemala desperately trying to save her young daughter. She endured severe domestic abuse, and the cartels had killed many in her family. She had no money to pay their demands, so she fled.
When she crossed the border at the official port of entry in El Paso, she was taken to the massive ICE detention facility, while her young daughter was taken and sent to a facility in another state. As we spoke, she was wearing an ankle monitor while waiting for her first court hearing and there were no plans to be reunited with her daughter. This story is similar to thousands of others.
The narrative on both sides of the aisle on this issue is so often wrong and used for political gain. Border patrol performs an essential function in keeping our borders secure. They are badly under-resourced and trying to work within a system that is confusing and complex.
We need leaders with the courage to stand for secure borders, but also who will enforce it in a humane way in accordance with our American values. No mother should be separated from her child. We will only solve this problem if Congress is willing to act on meaningful immigration reform.
MITCH MCCONNELL
N/A
Social Security
AMY MCGRATH
N/A
MITCH MCCONNELL
Rising energy and health care costs can particularly impact seniors. Respecting our seniors means protecting their quality of life
Veterans
AMY MCGRATH
Veterans & Military Families
He blocked “the most comprehensive veterans legislation,” introduced in decades to expand health care, education and job training benefits for veterans and their families. He introduced legislation that would have discontinued tax credits critical to keeping many veterans’ families above the poverty line. And he voted at least four times against pay raises for our troops, while voting for at least six pay raises for himself.
This is unacceptable.
We owe it to the men and women who currently serve in uniform, as well as our veterans, to keep our promises to those who have defended our freedoms. The sacrifices that our veterans and military families bear call for the best that we can offer as Americans.
STRENGTHEN THE VA
I will make sure the VA delivers the health care and education benefits that veterans have earned through their service. I’m an avid proponent of initiatives like the Post-9/11 GI Bill (I used it!) and the VA home loan (I used that, too!)—programs that help veterans transition from the military into productive civilian lives and careers. The skills and talents that veterans develop during their service are incredibly valuable. We must celebrate those skills and ensure that veterans are able to smoothly transition and use those skills to the benefit of their families and communities.
PREVENT THE PRIVATIZATION OF THE VA
I will make sure the VA remains the best place for veterans to receive care for their injuries. America should not outsource its responsibility to our veterans so that private insurance companies can profit from our injured and ill veterans. We must fully fund the VA so that veterans receive the quality health care they deserve—for life.
INVEST IN PREVENTING VETERAN SUICIDE
I will do more to combat suicide in our veteran community where, every day, around 20 veterans commit suicide. I am acutely aware of how veterans struggle with purpose and meaning in their lives, having struggled with it myself after my first couple combat tours. That requires, in part, fully funding the VA.
LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE OUTCOMES
Many veterans suffering from chronic pain and PTSD report improved health outcomes from medical cannabis. I stand with the American Legion in calling for the removal of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug and permit its use to treat ailments that veterans, and others, face. It may also alleviate dependence on opioids for pain relief and that alone is a meaningful reason to consider moving in that direction. Our government should permit research on the issue of full legalization.
MITCH MCCONNELL
I am proud to represent the thousands of veterans who live in Kentucky. These men and women made a promise to our country, and in return we must keep our promise to them
