LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The primary election is just 13 days away and the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is heating up in Kentucky. 


What You Need To Know


  • Senate race heating up

  • Candidates make last minute ad buys

Democrats Amy McGrath, Mike Broihier, and Charles Booker are hoping to take on U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, in the fall.

McGrath, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s pick, has dominated the race since announcing her candidacy in July of last year amassing millions in her war chest—but progressives Booker and Broihier have seen surges in campaign donations the past couple weeks and are using that money to make last-minute pitches to voters. 

Both Broihier and Booker’s TV ads aim to define them as the “real Democrat” in the race while taking shots at McGrath for several campaign missteps. 

In Broihier’s six-figure ad buy, he introduces himself as a retired Marine Lieutenant, educator, and farmer after highlighting McGrath’s mistakes, “In 2018, Amy McGrath lost a winnable house race, then she supported putting Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court and now she’s running as a pro-Trump Democrat,” the ad says. 

 

The ad began airing this week statewide and the campaign tells Spectrum News 1 another large ad buy will be placed for next week. 

Booker placed a $400,000 statewide ad buy this week as well using the 30-second spot to highlight his platform of Medicare-for-all, and universal basic income (Broihier also has a plan for UBI), “Democrats only win by mobilizing young and old, black, brown and white, fighting for real change,” he says in the ad. 

 

 

The unrest in America over police killings of black men and women has caused Booker’s campaign to surge in the past two weeks as he been a steady presence in Louisville’s protests and Black Lives Matter protests across Kentucky—helping him raise more than $700,000 in the first eight days of June. 

On Tuesday, Booker picked up the coveted progressive endorsement of former presidential candidate and Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and has been appearing on national cable outlets CNN and MSNBC. 

“I’m excited to build this new coalition from the mountains of Appalachia, all the way to the Four Rivers, and even to the hood where I’m from and it is exactly why we’re going to win this race,” Booker told MSNBC host Chris Hayes. 

Over the weekend the hashtag #BookerBeatsMitch began trending in support of Booker’s campaign but Wednesday Broihier also saw a trending hashtag #MikeBeatsMitch.

Broihier has also been picking up endorsements as well announcing 30 new endorsements from community leaders on Tuesday. 

“It is broad and it is diverse and it is deep and these are people who have shown a lot of courage as leaders of their particular groups,” Broihier said in a video posted to his social media page. 

The endorsements are in addition to prior endorsements from former presidential candidates Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson. 

Meanwhile, long-standing frontrunner Amy McGrath is facing pushback once again for an ad released by her campaign. The spot highlights late Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, historic vote against a bill to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, his no vote caused the bill to fail. 

McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain took to social media to announce her disapproval of the attack ad against McConnell, John’s memory should be used to promote common ground and civility, not to stoke division,” she wrote.

McGrath responded to the criticism saying she reached to a member of the McCain family who encouraged her to use the vote in her ad," I am saddened that Mrs. McCain sees this differently, but my intention is to honor Sen. McCain's historic vote that is also a moment of public record,” she posted on her social media account. 

Changes to voting in Kentucky due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic allow residents to vote absentee instead of in-person on Election Day—which could hurt Booker and Broihier as they can more recognition in the final days if ballots have already been cast.