Democratic Senate candidate for Kentucky, Charles Booker, a liberal, has the impetus against centrist Amy McGrath in his primary for the right to confront current Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell in the ruby red state in November.
McGrath, 45, is a former Navy fighter pilot who became a Democrats’ favorite after her relatively close but unsuccessful attempt to oust central Kentucky Republican Rep. Andy Barr from office in his career in the 2018 House of Representatives. And she was the candidate chosen by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, despite the fact that several high-profile and more liberal party figures rallied behind her rival.
McGrath defeated Booker, 35, in polls and fundraising for much of his elementary school before his offer received a boost as a result of endorsements by Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts , as well as the Representative of New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They all touted their support for radical reforms, such as the “Green New Deal” and “Medicare for All,” on McGrath’s centrist platform and anti-McConnell rhetoric.
As the youngest black legislator in the state of Kentucky, Booker was also endorsed by some of the top Kentucky newspapers after his response to the civil unrest over racial injustice in his hometown of Louisville, the state’s largest city. Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was shot to death by Louisville police in plain clothes in March when they broke into her apartment using a no-touch order as part of a narcotics investigation. One of the three officers involved, Brett Hankison, was fired last week by the department.
Experts had speculated that Booker’s last-minute push may have been nullified by efforts to increase early voting and absent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contest was scheduled for May 19, but was delayed amid the outbreak.
Whoever wins should prepare for a showdown against McConnell on November 3. McConnell, who has been the Senate Majority Leader since 2015, has represented Kentucky in the House since 1985. President Trump won the state in 2016 by nearly 30 percentage points. McConnell won reelection in 2014 by more than 15 points.
