Mitch McConnell wins GOP nomination in bid for 7th term
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cruised to the Republican nomination Tuesday night in pursuit of a seventh term, but his general election challenger might not be known for days as Kentucky awaits the outcome of a competitive Democratic primary.
McConnell, the nation’s top-ranking congressional Republican, dispatched a group of little-known GOP challengers in the unprecedented primary. Much of the state’s electorate cast mail-in absentee ballots — an accommodation made to the coronavirus pandemic.
On the Democratic side, well-funded Amy McGrath and progressive Charles Booker, a freshman state lawmaker, were leading a crowded field. The race was too early to call Tuesday night and the outcome could be in limbo for up to a week as officials await complete results.
McConnell wasted no time in framing the fall race as he claimed victory in the GOP primary.
“Kentuckians have a huge choice this year regarding the path of our nation,” he said in a statement Tuesday night. “Do we choose to follow Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and other Washington Democrats down the path towards socialism? I sure hope not. Instead, I am confident Kentuckians will choose expanding freedom, creating jobs and upholding our conservative values.”
In Louisville, Booker and a gathering of supporters chanted ’’from the hood to the holler” — the slogan he hoped would help build a coalition of urban Blacks and rural whites. Having gone from a longshot to formidable, Booker declared: “We have the opportunity to transform history.”
In a statement, McGrath urged everyone to “get a little rest, recharge your battery and buckle up for what’s next.” The mission, she said, was to unseat McConnell.
Democrats can point to Gov. Andy Beshear’s victory...