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Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath announces bid to take on Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2020

Posted at 7:54 AM, Jul 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-09 07:54:14-04

Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath, a former fighter pilot who rose to national prominence last year in her failed campaign for Congress against Republican Andy Barr, is turning her sights on a new target: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

In a three-minute video released Tuesday, McGrath said McConnell has "bit by bit, year by year, turned Washington into something we all despise."

"I'm running for Senate because it shouldn't be like this," McGrath added.

McGrath's candidacy marks a significant recruiting coup for Democrats. She emerged as an unlikely fundraising juggernaut in her congressional race, bringing in millions of dollars after her campaign released a biographical video that went viral, and becoming a Democratic celebrity in the process.

But it was not enough for McGrath to best Barr, who won by about 3 points in the 2018 election.

In the race against McConnell, McGrath appears poised to run as a moderate seeking to break the partisan gridlock in Washington. In an interview Tuesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," McGrath said she had watched the Democratic presidential debate and was concerned that many candidates were positioning themselves too far to the left.