It was a close race, but it looks like Amy McGrath is going to prevail over Charles Booker in Kentucky’s Democratic primary race. Votes are still being counted, but Vox (among others) has called it for McGrath:
Retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath will face off against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this fall, after winning a closer-than-expected primary against progressive challenger Charles Booker.
The primary proved to be a nail-biter up until the very end, with Booker and McGrath each pulling ahead at various stages of vote-counting. Booker dominated in Jefferson County, his home area around Louisville and a key area for Democrats. But ultimately, a weaker margin outside of Lexington wasn’t enough to make up McGrath’s showing in rural areas outside the two cities.
Despite election day in Kentucky being held on June 23, a crush of absentee ballots made it impossible to know statewide results until a full week later. Vox’s partner Decision Desk called the race on June 30, around 11:15 am. The week of delays could serve as a preview for the November general election, if it is close.
Congratulations to Ms. McGrath. Now go kick some senatortoise ass!
Punchy
Asking purely objectively…what’s McGrath’s chances of beating this POS? 25%? 40%? 3%? I have no idea about her, but I do know Cant-ucky is teeming with racists, bigots, and general shitheads. This can’t be a good recipe for a Dem Senator, esp. one that is taking on such a high-profile asshole.
NotMax
It’s McOn!
;)
Betty Cracker
@Punchy: I’m no expert on KY either, but they did bounce an incumbent Republican governor for a Democrat recently, so maybe there’s hope? That governor was particularly repellent, but then again, so is McConnell. Perhaps some Kentuckians will weigh in…
pacem appellant
The odds of McGrath winning I admit aren’t great, but making McConnell and the GOP defend this seat will spread their resources evening thinner this November. And if we pull it off, we can dance on both Collins’s and McConnell’s political graves.
MisterForkbeard
IIRC, the odds for both McGrath and Booker were pretty low, though I think they were a little lower for Booker.
Congrats to her, hopefully she can take Mitch down.
pacem appellant
@Punchy: Not great, but we have to make the GOP sweat this seat so they’re unable to muster reinforcements to other fronts.
projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/senate/kentucky/
NotMax
@pacem appellant
(pulls copy of Flamenco For Dummies from the shelf)
satby
@Betty Cracker: My kid in Lexington preferred Booker, but rest assured he’ll support McGrath. Just before Booker started to surge and got the high profile Rose Twitter endorsement, McGrath actually polled even or at least once +2 against McTurtle. She has a shot.
Yutsano
Honestly I hope McGrath looks at what Booker did and clamps on to some of his ideas. Go to every county. Open up the floor to everyone. Make sure you’re listening and willing to at least listen before explaining your ideas. He almost took that to be the one to take on Yertle. She could do worse than to also go along with that strategy.
janesays
@Betty Cracker: They did, but… that was in an off year election without Trump on the ballot, and Beshear just barely squeaked in – he beat Bevin by a 0.37% margin.
Trump won Kentucky by 30 points in 2016, which means it’s probably a safe bet that he’ll win it this time by at least 15 points. The key to beating McConnell is to separate him from the shitgibbons coattails in voter’s minds. You’re probably going to need at least a few people who will be voting for Trump to also vote for McGrath to flip the seat, which is gonna be tough.
CaseyL
It’s damned odd: McConnell is widely hated in KY, but is favored to win in November by a large percentage. I guess it always comes down to “Democrats are even worse!” no matter how bad McConnell is.
KY ranks dead last or next to last in almost every quality of life metric. They seem to like it that way.
Allison Grimes’ campaign in 2014 was, to put it mildly, lackluster. Maybe McGrath can be more aggressive in letting the voters know their lives don’t have to be shit.
janesays
@CaseyL: It’s entirely because of Trump’s coattails. Trump is gonna win the state by a comfortable double digit margin. If most of the people who vote for Trump also vote for McConnell, it will give McConnell a huge advantage
It would be so much better if this race weren’t taking place during a presidential election – being able to be on the same ballot as Trump may be the thing that saves McConnell’s job.
dww44
@MisterForkbeard: Knowing some native Kentuckians as I do, I agree that McGrath has a slightly better chance to beat McConnell. As a lifelong resident of a more southerly red state, l ‘ve always been surprised with how much more conservative they are. Particularly after seeing Rand Paul opining on the Senate floor today about the pandemic.
kindness
Thank the FSM. I might personally prefer the more liberal Democrat but I also think winning the seat away from MoscowMitch is more important and McGrath is a much better candidate to do that in Kentucky. My fellow liberals far too frequently ignore tactics and instead insist on blind loyalty. Kinda like BernieBros.
West of the Rockies
I must be a weirdo. I cannot fathom why McConnell would want the damn seat. He and his wretched wife have tens of millions of dollars. He’s 76 and getting frail fast. Move to the Bahamas or wherever and write the McConnell Kampf.
I know, I know… He’s addicted to power and the spotlight. What an empty turtle shell of a man.
Baud
I don’t have a dog in the primary fight. Hopefully, KY Dems can come together and make a good show of it, and even pull off a great upset against McConnell.
CaseyL
@janesays: But the last time McConnell ran was in 2014, against Allison Grimes. Not a Presidential year.
Grimes did everything she could to disassociate herself from Obama, who was still President at the time, and it didn’t work.
She ran, like I said, a very lackluster campaign, afraid of being called a Democrat, or a liberal. I don’t know much about McGrath, but she sounds like more of the same: wants to downplay being a Democrat.
Democratic Party policies are better for people. Better in every way. Maybe McGrath can make that point. Maybe she can’t.
SFAW
@dww44:
What was today’s bit of fuckheadedness from him?
Baud
@CaseyL:
Hard to say. 2014 was pre-Trump and a lot of Dems were taking things for granted. Our voters have a different perspective now.
Noncarborundum
@NotMax: Can I borrow that after I’m done reading my copy of Strategic Incontinence for Dummies?
hueyplong
McGrath’s Marine career had me rooting for her as the one with the better chance in KY.
If we’re seeing an actual contest in KY on Nov 3 we’re having a hell of a night.
taumaturgo
If McGrath wins, she will become one of the centrists, blue dogs spoilers along with Coon and Manchin. Any and all true liberal Bidens proposals will have to be negotiated and water down to satisfied these 3 DINOS. An improvement over the Moscow Mitch, but no illusions of meaningful change. Did she confess that she would have voted to sit Kavanaugh in the Supreme court? Enough said.
CaseyL
@Baud: True, but I’m not sure how many Democratic voters there are in KY (particularly outside the blue-ish cities like Louisville). McGrath needs non-Democratic votes.
@taumaturgo: But she would still be a D, and if that helps us get a D majority Senate it’ll be worth it. Like Manchin, she might be the best you can get in a state like KY. The choice is Blue Dog or GOP, not Blue Dog or Liberal.
hueyplong
@taumaturgo: So you’re happier with McConnell?
This is a binary choice.
Baud
@CaseyL: Agree. It’ll be an uphill climb. But as noted upthread, KY just elected a Dem governor. Who knows? Maybe by November enough of them will be ready for a change.
Baud
@taumaturgo:
Fixed.
Ohio Mom
I’ve been under the impression that the preceding Kentucky governor had plans for the teachers’ pension system they didn’t like, and they came out in force in revenge.
Let’s hope their grudge has expanded to include all Republicans.
I don’t know how much of a chance McGrath has but I think it’s better than Booker would have had. Maybe having to run against someone serious will bring McGrath’s campaigning to a higher level.
Frankensteinbeck
@Punchy:
I have lived here half my life, and you are correct on both counts. However, McConnell is damned unpopular, and despite all you heard about polling places Kentucky has a (very popular) Democratic governor and mail-in voting caused an immense surge. McConnell also knows exactly what sells here. His campaign against Grimes was to say the words ‘Obama and Mexicans’ and watch Republicans fight to get to the polls and vote for him first. McGrath has an uphill battle ahead of her, but it is not actually impossible.
EDIT – Nothing, not even removing Trump, will benefit the US as much as the removal of ‘The Gravedigger of American Democracy’ Mitch McConnell.
Noncarborundum
@taumaturgo: If she contributes to a Democratic majority in the Senate, that in itself is a meaningful change.
TomatoQueen
OT. The world has ended.
variety.com/2020/film/news/carl-reiner-dead-died-dick-van-dyke-1234694208/
Somebody go hold Mel Brooks’ hand.
MisterForkbeard
@taumaturgo:
Getting rid of Mitch McConnel and having even a nominal D Senator is meaningful change, you nitwit. Can you ever comment here without yelling about how Democrats are the real enemy?
ETA: Just remembered not to engage the trolls and/or the truly stupid. Enjoy your pie, ser.
Exregis
The only hope I have in the McGrath/Booker scenario is that I think far fewer of McGrath’s supporters would vote for Booker than Booker’s supporters would vote for McGrath — racism and all that. McGrath was my choice months ago until I saw more of Booker.
OT: I just saw Dorothy A. Winsor’s The Wysman featured on John Scalzi’s The Big Idea series.
Baud
OT
MisterForkbeard
@Exregis: I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but I’m excited for her. That’s really cool, and it sounds like it’s selling well. :)
Ken
Something occurs to me. Every year thousands of churches (including my own) take work trips to various parts of the country. I’ve been on two to Kentucky and four others to nearby areas of Appalachia, through Appalachia Service Project (ASP).
They spend a week providing (relatively) unskilled labor to build or repair houses, clear away junk, and so forth. For ASP, the group pays in advance for support staff, meals, and construction supplies, which is three or four thousand dollars for the week.
Those trips are not happening this year. They will not happen until COVID is controlled, and possibly not until there’s a vaccine. I wonder how noticeable the effect will be on the region’s already-nearly-nonexistent economy?
Another Scott
@Baud: +1
We need to fight like hell for this seat, and all the rest.
The economy hasn’t been this bad in nearly a century.
We haven’t had a pandemic this bad in a century.
We have the worst president in office in our history. And McConnell has enabled him every step of the way.
This is not going to be a normal election. We have the winds at our back – even in “red” states. We need to take advantage of it.
Cheers,
Scott.
JPL
Biden is going to be up soon
twitter.com/BidenWarRoom
germy
Yes, I like to think we’ll all be celebrating the morning after the November election, but I wonder if we’ll instead be biting our nails and worrying here.
SiubhanDuinne
@MisterForkbeard:
I’m about halfway through the book, and really enjoying it.
schrodingers_cat
Some Roses want McGrath to concede even though she won because according to them Booker has momentum. These clowns can’t hide their misogyny for a single minute can they.
CaseyL
@schrodingers_cat: That’s of a piece with their insistence that Bernie should get the nomination despite losing all the post-New England primaries because his supporters are “more enthusiastic” and “louder.”
Ken
I don’t know, did she?
Or are you using the famous Fox question mark which really means “this is a lie but we can get away with it using typography”?
Have you seen that sort of thing, such as a chyron saying “Did President Obama betray the nation?” ?
Did you notice I just used it twice, once in the fake quote and once for the whole sentence?
Is it similar to asking “Is taumaturgo being paid by the RNC and Russians to stir up trouble?” ?
Just asking the question, you know?
Not saying yes, not saying no, because don’t people have the right to decide for themselves based just on innuendo?
cintibud
In Cincinnati we have seen plenty of McGrath and McConnell ads. From my obviously biased perspective McGraths ad campaign is far superior to this point. Her ads seemed to outnumber Turtle’s by 3-2 and she was in every one talking to the camera about the problems facing the country, how Mitch has failed and that she will fight for KY. There is definitely a blue dog vibe but this is Kentucky after all. I think the ads project leadership.
McConnell’s ads are the same old attack ads – “She’s for ABORTION!!!!!!” and Mitch hugging Trump ads. Just the kind of thing to make viewers tune out. But this is the KY state and that may be enough to grease the way for his victory
Another Scott
@Baud:
niskanencenter.org/bitecofer-post-primary-update/
niskanencenter.org/negative-partisanship-and-the-2020-congressional-elections/
That last one was from late April.
We have to work for the future we seek. It’s not going to come without a struggle.
With any luck, Amy has learned from her previous losses and is modifying her approach to turn out Democrats and also pound on how McConnell has failed in the traditional GOP field as well.
Cheers,
Scott.
john b
@CaseyL: I wonder if it’s like the Jesse Helms phenomenon in NC in the 90s. Basically he got re-elected despite being disliked because he had seniority and power. Basically he was OUR asshole.
kindness
@taumaturgo: Dude! Are you suggesting a moderate Democrat is worse than MoscowMitch? Because that is the choice. Stop whining.
Ken
Well that’s a nice setup line.
Ruckus
@Yutsano:
I think one of her strengths was her early start and she was/is constantly against turtle. I didn’t even know anyone else was running against him till a very short time ago. And now I think he may have been a better candidate. OK that’s politics though, she ran a better campaign, at least if you count the national scene. But you are right, she needs to learn from him, he didn’t lose by all that much and that was without all the national attention. Maybe she should ask him to join in with her in some way, double up on turtle, stomp his ass.
Another Scott
@taumaturgo: Always vote D in the general election. You’re voting for the party, and the party controls the leadership, and the leadership determines what gets done.
It doesn’t matter if she is Joe Manchin’s clone. What matters is that she’s a Democrat.
Cheers,
Scott.
Quaker in a Basement
Booker is a young man (35 according to the wikis) and demonstrated strong, broad support. If my map reading skills are on point, he lives in a House district currently held by a Trumpster loon. It would be great to see Booker take a run at a House seat in 2022.
Nicole
Normally I’m not in favor of a Democrat running as a Republican-lite (might as well just vote for the real thing, then), but the recent trip to Oklahoma reminded me that a liberal in a red state is not the same as a liberal in a blue state. And, this year at least, none of the Democratic candidates will feel a need to run away from the Democratic candidate for President. It sucks, because the reason they don’t is that he’s an old white guy, but this year, I’ll take it. Just win, baby.
CaseyL
@Another Scott: Maybe McGrath’s ads are doing this, but I always wonder why Democrats in these “shithole” states don’t straight out ask “Do you like having the lowest-rated healthcare system? The lowest rated educational system? One of the highest levels of crime and poverty? Do you think that’s all you deserve? It doesn’t have to be that way. We can do better than that, we can be better than that, we can live better than that.”
Duke of Clay
I think McGrath has some serious fence mending to do within the Kentucky Democratic Party. She did not run as a Democrat until the last week and a half when Booker started catching up to her. She failed to show up to a single BLM rally and has yet to make a strong statement of support for the protests against the killing of Breonna Taylor. She was the Chosen One, bestowed upon us by the DSCC and given $40 million to run the race and barely beat Booker who had about $2 million. Given the margin, I suspect that the early absentee voting that took place before the Booker surge put her over the top. (I do have one friend who told me two weeks ago that she regretted her absentee vote for McGrath.) Having said all of that, I WILL crawl across burning coals and broken glass to vote for her in November. But she does not excite me.
Duke of Clay
@Quaker in a Basement: You are mistaken. He is in the district of John Yarmouth, a liberal democrat.
germy
She’s capable of growth:
Duke of Clay
@schrodingers_cat: I can’t even. You are so far out in left field that you are not even in the ball park. Please read my comment above.
taumaturgo
@Noncarborundum: Liberman had a big D after his name also.
WaterGirl
@TomatoQueen: He was spunky to the end.
:: tears ::
West of the Rockies
@Ken:
Bravo!
SiubhanDuinne
Listening to Biden. I like the inclusiveness he exhibits when he uses the phrase “every state, territory, and tribe.” This is at least the second time I’ve heard him use that formulation.
germy
@schrodingers_cat: Red rose twitter people are asking her to concede after she won her primary? Do you have a link to any of their tweets?
taumaturgo
@Another Scott: Respectfully, your view is old school and demonstrate how the party leadership is able to hijack the populist and liberal language but sell itself to the big money interests and governs essentially for the few.
Chyron HR
@Duke of Clay:
I believe the preferred progressive language is “coronation”. Throw in a “rigged” while you’re at it.
germy
@taumaturgo: Lieberman eventually left the Democratic party. He couldn’t keep up the pretense anymore of being a Democrat.
schrodingers_cat
@germy: They showed up on my timeline. He is from the Sunrise movement. Another BS cheer leading group.
twitter.com/DavidAgStone/status/1277984889350926336
germy
@Chyron HR: Proper term is voted for by a majority of primary voters, isn’t it?
taumaturgo
@Duke of Clay: Is not you or the common folk the DNC is looking to excite, they are out to make sure the corporate world and the well to do approve of the candidate.
WaterGirl
@Ken: I googled and found similar info on CNN and Politico.
So she wouldn’t, then she would, then she wouldn’t. He’s not making this up.
Once I heard that Amy McGrath called herself “a Trump Democrat”, I really wanted Booker to win. Because of that and because of the Kavanaugh thing,I am very disappointed that McGrath won instead of Booker.
But that’s the way the cookie crumbles, as my mom always said. So let’s hope that McGrath beats the crap out of Mitch McConnell. If any year is the year that hell can freeze over, it’s this one.
germy
@schrodingers_cat: David appears to be a Tara Reade believer, aka an idiot.
taumaturgo
@germy: And your point is? Did the party learn anything or did it work out for them as intended?
Duke of Clay
@WaterGirl: As I said, she has my vote in November. But, if she wins, I still may call her Senator Windsock.
Another Scott
@taumaturgo: Purity kills.
Cheers,
Scott.
pamelabrown53
@SiubhanDuinne:
I, too am listening to Biden, He;s doing a great job with the press conference part. Answering a wide range of questions.
Disappointed this wasn’t front-paged and live blogged.
germy
@taumaturgo: I never cared for Lieberman and I thought Gore made a mistake picking him.
I also preferred Booker to McGrath, but as I don’t live in their state I had no vote.
What I’d like is to see McConnell beaten. I’d also like to see McGrath (if she wins) move in a more progressive direction. Even if it’s only because of her own personal ambition.
WaterGirl
@pamelabrown53: If it’s not almost over and you can provide a link, I’ll put something up.
Found a livestream. Put up a post.
SectionH
Mr S is not a native Kentuckian, nor am I, but we lived there for many years. My summary to him of the Democratic primary race boiled down to whether racism or sexism is stronger with Kentucky voters, and basically, I think racism is stronger. Kentucky has had a (white) woman governor, and a (white) woman lieutenant-governor, who famously, as “acting governor” vetoed the state legislature’s attempt to repeal the ERA. I think McGrath has a better chance of beating Mitch than Booker would have had.
I’m sure Mitch will pull out all the stops – would have either way – and I still think he’ll win, but y’know, Kentucky turfed that asshole Bevin out as Gov last year, and Andy Beshear has done a more than decent job so far. If the choice is between Amy and Mitch, it’s still a damn clear choice. And yeah, there’s an outside chance she can win. I mean, even 30-1 horses win sometimes
taumaturgo
@Ken: Of course, don’t believe what I wrote. Do your bonafide research.
Felanius Kootea
I’ve donated to her in the past but I shuddered when she called herself a “Trump Democrat” and I haven’t been able to bring myself to donate to her since.
I do hope she beats McConnell and hope she is slightly better than Joe Manchin as a senator.
frosty
@Duke of Clay:
Flashbacks to the 2016 PA primary. Katie McGinty, supported by the Dem establishment vs. John Fetterman, a populist (?) mayor from Western PA. She won and Toomey smoked her. I still contend that with Trump running, Fetterman was the candidate for the times. He’s now Lt. Gov, BTW.
I hope KY does better.
taumaturgo
@germy: I hope so too. However, in the case of Gore and now Scummer, the undeniable tendency is to favor the middle of the road corporatist type candidates that fill all the boxes in the well to do donors’ tally sheet.
taumaturgo
@Another Scott: Not about purity, whatever that is, is about the meaningful change the common folks in the party are clamoring for.
germy
@taumaturgo:
I’m curious if millions of small donors (in other words, us) can outspend the deeppocket corporate donors. If we prove we can, maybe we can move the middle-of-the-road types in a better direction. They’re ambitious and want to stay relevant.
But can we? What’s your opinion?
taumaturgo
@WaterGirl: I hope so too yet I don’t expect anything other than equivocating and moving closer to the Rs than the Ds. Sorry, it is who she is. I’ll be glad to eat my words if she does differently.
WaterGirl
@taumaturgo: Amy McGrath is still BETTER THAN ANY REPUBLICAN. Are you in Kentucky? If so, will you vote for her?
dww44
@SFAW: Sorry to be late in responding to this and someone else may have responded. I walked by the TV and didn’t linger, but he had all these charts about “opening up the economy” and criticizing Fauci as an evil Central planner of the COVID response. That we should reopen the schools like other European countries are doing and ignoring that those countries flattened the “curve’ while we’ve come no where near it. How little kids are not spreaders, etc….
eddie blake
@germy:
lieberman didn’t “leave” the democratic party, he was KICKED the fuck OUT.
ned lamont BEAT his ass in the primary, so he invented the “connecticut for lieberman” party and got re-elected as an INDEPENDENT with the backing of the fucking GOP.
eddie blake
@taumaturgo:
dude, you have no IDEA what you’re TALKING about. that’s SO not why gore chose lieberman.
…and that had BETTER have been a TYPO in regards to the senate MINORITY leader.
Omnes Omnibus
@taumaturgo: Her presence in the the Senate would move the Senate to the left. The right most D is far to McConnell’s left. The rest, as they say, is commentary.
Carol
@kindness: Kinda like trumpists.
SFAW
@dww44:
Thanks. Sounds like his usual stupidity and dickishness.
PAM Dirac
@Omnes Omnibus:
That is certainly a good thing and it would be a great thing to kick Moscow Mitch in the ass, but it is a question of priorities. If the blue wave is big enough to give McGrath a fighting chance, it is almost certain the Ds would already have 53 or 54 seats. I’m not sure there is an even marginally likely scenario where her vote is crucial. If I lived in Kentucky I would certainly vote for and work for her, but I don’t see making this race a major national priority.
joel hanes
@Duke of Clay:
[McGrath] failed to show up to a single BLM rally
What part of “trying to win a general election in fucking Kentucky” do you find so difficult to understand?
Of course she didn’t.
Ruckus
@TomatoQueen:
He sure had a pretty decent run – 98 years ain’t nothing.
The good ones always go early.
I followed him on twitter and he was doing great last week.
Ruckus
Lotta pie in this post.
I wonder who it could be?
Ruckus
@PAM Dirac:
You don’t want turtle in the senate at all. Even in the minority party. We need every vote there we can get. Every single one.
glory b
@Duke of Clay: Can we JUST STOP WITH THE EXCITEMENT CRAP??!?
You’re not marrying her, you’re voting for a democrat to win public office! Why must every candidate be exciting? Isn’t competent and on the right side of the fence enough?
The other night Beyonce said vote like your lives depend on it. Vote like Black people’s lives depend on it! Please?
glory b
@PAM Dirac: Getting the Senate is a national priority, and we can’t afford to take any seat for granted, blue wave or not.
glory b
@frosty: Well, as I recall, he beat her by about 2 points, he didn’t smoke her. To be fair (and the MSM has made me the that phrase). she was ahead in the polls for pretty much all of the race, just like Hillary. They both were ahead until the end, then they both lost.
I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll go there again, since this is about that race: I STILL think there was something fishy about 2016. In the last seven state wide elections in PA, the only 2 Republicans to win were Trump and Toomey. On that ballot there were races for Attorney General, Auditor General and 3 judicial positions. Dems won all of them. I find it hard to believe that people voted for Trump and Toomey and then voted D the rest of the way down.
Since then, the (R) legislature has raised the mandatory retirement age for judges, so the last R appellate court judges we have would have a chance to hang on. Our 7 member Supreme Court has 5 Dems.
All of the state wide races since 2016 were won by Dems. This is why I get mad when the MSM puts PA in the R category, just because of 2016.
taumaturgo
@WaterGirl: No, I’m not in Kentucky, beautiful state. Of course, I would vote for her because the alternative is unbearable for the commons as well as the individuals.
Uncle Cosmo
@traumaturdgo: Fuck off and die, imbecile.
PAM Dirac
@Ruckus:
@glory b:
I agree with both of these statements in the abstract, but actual elections aren’t abstract. Of course in the abstract I also agree with “Don’t elect Blue Dogs”. But you have to deal with the realities on the ground. The most important thing is to take control of the Senate. I say that Maine, Colorado, Arizona, Montana, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, and Iowa are all better chances for success than Kentucky and would provide a decent working margin in the Senate. I’m not suggesting abandoning Kentucky, (or Texas, Kansas, etc), but I am saying that you don’t make them a higher priority than more winnable seats. Of course as the election gets closer, the most winnable seats might change, but right now I can’t see the sense in making Kentucky a higher priority than the seats I mentioned.
Uncle Cosmo
@Duke of Clay: You can fuck off & die as well, asshole.
taumaturgo
@germy: Yes, small donors have proven that they can overcome large corporate donations. Bernie is the prime example of garnering small donors’ support to maintain his candidacy. Other Justice Democrats have followed the same path and have won their contest. The party, if it wishes to survive, will need to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow by not attacking at every turn their ideas and proposals but by embracing them and encouraging the new blood to step up to lead. These new young leaders are beginning to win primaries against the old guard and hopefully, they will win against the GOP and transform the party from within.
taumaturgo
@Uncle Cosmo: Is all good Uncle since we will all die, some sooner than later.
Duke of Clay
@Uncle Cosmo: You sound nice. You realize that if I die, that’s one less voter for McGrath in November, one less contributor to her campaign, and one less person talking her up to my fellow voters in Kentucky.
Morzer
McGrath has lots of money, a good profile and an extremely unpopular opponent. That said, she’s made a number of missteps along the way that might dampen Democratic enthusiasm for her as a candidate and I suspect the primary may have knocked her back a little in that respect too. Throw in the very red nature of Kentucky and I am having a hard time seeing how she takes down Moscow Mitch. I hope she does, but you wouldn’t advise anyone to put their life savings on it.
Morzer
@glory b: Didn’t heroic liberal Mike Bloomberg support Toomey? Maybe I am just misremembering the events of the year of the endless feverdream.
206inKY
I think McGrath definitely has a chance. The governor’s race was a cage fight but it was won with incredible organizing. Our small, red-leaning city’s office was led by one of my former students, a young woman who supported Booker (as I did) but is now totally energized to roll out the same block-by-block turnout operation that flipped our city blue last year. Last year she put in all that work for Beshear despite supporting Adam Edelen in the primary. When you live in a red state, you don’t have the luxury of taking your ball and walking home if you don’t get your way in the primary.
I detest McGrath for her original strategy of saying she’ll do a better job than McConnell of draining the swamp alongside Trump. NPR played a damning clip of her waffling on Kavanaugh. I’m annoyed she drove Matt Jones out of the race, who had a bigger in-state profile and would have crushed McConnell.
But I’ve already ordered my McGrath yard sign and will fight like hell for her. I’m definitely not alone in this.
She has a particularly great anecdote of writing a letter to McConnell when she was 12-years-old asking to allow women in combat. She then shares her bio as a fighter pilot, before closing with the uppercut: McConnell never answered her letter, so now she’s running to defeat him. It’s potent stuff.
Duke of Clay
@Morzer: Since this is only her third race (primary in 2018, general in 2018, and this primary), I am hoping she is learning quickly from her mistakes.
Another Scott
@206inKY: Excellent.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
L85NJGT
Booker was the choice of the state party, McGrath the DSCC. Establishment vs. Establishment. The rose twitter framing is a false dichotomy. Go figure.
The shit stirrers are carrying water for Moscow Mitch, I’d guess because McGrath polls better and is a better fund raiser (if a meh campaigner), but the seat is almost a certain a hold, even if the GOP takes a national beatdown.
The decoupling from Trump continues apace – 125 days to get ‘er done.
Miss Bianca
@glory b: Everything you just said.
dr. luba
@West of the Rockies: He hasn’t finished destroying this country yet.
schrodingers_cat
@glory b: Thank You. The Jill Stein voting ex-friend went on and on about how Hillary didn’t excite her. STFU idiot, I used to say under my breath.
schrodingers_cat
Are any Rs going to Moscow to celebrate July 4th this year?
Morzer
@Duke of Clay: I hope so too. I suspect that her campaign consultants may be responsible for some of the poorly-judged attempts at positioning, but who knows.
rikyrah
@schrodingers_cat:
not for one solitary second can they hide it.
sigh….
get on my last nerves.
always, the winner isn’t the winner, cause..
momentum…
206inKY
@L85NJGT: This is absolutely correct. Rose twitter was irrelevant. Booker campaigned “from the hood to the holler” and drove out to Pike County like an LBJ throwback. Even Allison Lundergren Grimes endorsed Booker, and she is basically the opposite of a Bernie Bro. Booker was massively outgunned and still came close. This whole experience has given me more empathy for people who complain when the DSCC throws its weight around in primaries, since the view is very different on the inside.
But I disagree that this is a safe hold for Republicans; I really think McGrath has a chance. Her fundraising and inspiring biography will help compensate for her problems as a campaigner.
janesays
@hueyplong: Indeed. If McConnell loses that seat, it means Biden is going to win by a 120+ Electoral Vote margin, and the Democrats are flipping at least 6 U.S. senate seats.