Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) worked the room at a big Democratic dinner recently:
http://thehill.com/...
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) knocked her potential opponent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), at a Democratic fundraising dinner Thursday night, the latest indication she may be moving toward a Senate bid.
According to local news site WHAS11, Lundergan Grimes told supporters at the annual Wendell Ford Dinner to say "yes" to defeating McConnell in 2014.
"My fellow Kentuckians, I ask you, based on tonight and in the coming months, will we send a message that Kentucky is ready for new leadership in Washington, D.C.?" she asked.
"Kentucky is tired of 28 years of obstruction and misleading leadership." - The Hill, 6/7/13
Thursday night's dinner might have been an indication that Grimes is gearing up for a run against McConnell:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/...
A Grimes candidacy would be a huge boon for Democrats who have spent months seeking a challenger to McConnell, whom they believe to be one of the most vulnerable incumbent Republicans in the Senate, despite his $8.6 million war chest. Grimes is a solid fundraiser in her own right, but also has the Clinton family and Democrat fundraiser throughout the state, thanks to her father, former party chairman Jerry Lundergan. Bill Clinton reportedly personally encouraged her to run and promised to help.
Grimes was at the top of many Democrats' lists even before actress Ashley Judd decided not to run, and saw the young secretary of state as much more viable. She has already been elected statewide, winning her seat in 2011 with just over 60 percent of the vote -- slightly more, actually, than former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney received in 2012. - National Journal, 6/7/13
And McConnell is very nervous about Grimes running against him that even though she hasn't announced her candidacy, that's not stopping his Super PAC from attacking Grimes:
http://www.kentucky.com/...
Kentuckians for Strong Leadership, an independent super PAC, ran a full-page ad Sunday in The Paducah Sun that showed photos of Grimes, Obama and Pelosi, all Democrats.
"Alison Lundergan Grimes says she's 'listening ...'" the ad says. "But who is she listening to?"
It continues: "When Alison Lundergan Grimes attacks Kentucky's Senator Mitch McConnell for 'obstruction,' she's signaling to Washington liberals that she would rubber-stamp the Obama-Pelosi agenda that McConnell is defending Kentuckians from."
The ad specifically mentions McConnell's opposition to an overhaul of health insurance laws and Environmental Protection Agency regulations affecting the coal industry, among other things.
The political action committee ran a similar ad last month in The Kentucky Enquirer and indicated Wednesday that more might be in the offing.
Grimes' political adviser, Jonathan Hurst, called the ads "false attacks that show just how scared Mitch McConnell and his supporters are." - Herald-Leader, 6/5/13
Grimes speech at the dinner and McConnell's attacks are causing Kentucky Democrats to heavily push for her to jump in:
http://wfpl.org/...
The chair of the Louisville Democratic Party says he'd prefer Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes to make a quick decision on challenging Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell next year.
Louisville-Jefferson County Democratic Party Chair Bill Ryan says he doesn’t agree Grimes is doing the party a disservice, but that it would be bet better to know the secretary of state's intentions now rather than later.
"I would like to see her make her mind up in the next few weeks. That would make it a whole lot simpler for the Democratic Party to find other candidates ... that are considering to go ahead and say they’re going to run," he says. "But as far as bullying her, no I’m not going to say she should or should not get into the race. If she wants to take up to January to decide that’s her business."
A recent Public Policy Polling survey showed Grimes tied with McConnell, and she is being heavily recruited by national Democrats to take on the GOP leader. - WFPL News 89.3, 6/6/13
And of course, Kentucky's sole Democratic Congressman, John Yamuth (D. KY-3) got his jab in about McConnell and is also pushing Grimes to make a decision:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
“I can be really brief tonight and just say, Mitch McConnell sucks,” he told the crowd at a Jefferson County Democratic Party dinner.
At the same dinner, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes appeared to be embracing the idea of a challenge to the Senate minority leader, although she has set no timetable for her decision and is still not a sure bet to run.
Polling has suggested that McConnell could be vulnerable, but he is a skilled politician with a huge war chest. Yarmuth has been pressuring Lundergan Grimes to either get in the race or bow out so other potential Democrats can step forward.
“I do think that it is important that Alison Grimes immediately decide whether she’s running or not because there are a number of people sitting on the sidelines who would be interested I think in making a race who are waiting to find out what she does,” Yarmuth told the radio station WFPL last week. “And for her to keep prolonging this, as she said possibly until the late summer, I think is a disservice to the party.” - Washington Post, 6/7/13
Louisville music promoter Bennie J. Smith and Owensboro contractor Ed Marksberry have already announced their senate bids. Miss America 2000 Heather French Henry, environmentalist Tom FitzGerald and Lexington attorney Bill Garmer, the former chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, have also expressed interest in running. But Kentucky Democrats are worried that Grimes taking her time to decide might hurt their chances of taking McConnell's seat. But someone who's been in Grimes position explained a few things:
http://www.whas11.com/...
The last Kentucky Democrat to run for U.S. Senate, Attorney General Jack Conway (D-Ky), told the crowd that Grimes is "doing it the right way," and explained to reporters that she is asking all the right questions of the Democrats who want to push her into the race.
"When you're getting recruited by the DSCC and talking to senators up in Washington, they make you a lot of promises, and sometimes those promises aren't always kept," Conway said in an interview. "And so, Alison is doing the smart thing when they make a promise, she's saying 'Okay, really? Are you going to help me make the calls?' Because there's not enough money in Kentucky to take on Mitch McConnell. It's got to be a national fundraising effort."
Grimes exhibited a healthy knowledge of opposition research against McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader.
"What we are doing here tonight will send a message that Kentucky is ready to have a senator that puts the interests of Kentucky first instead of their own, as our senior senator has done in voting against raising the minimum wage but all the while in 28 years quadrupling his own net worth," Grimes said.
In what appears to be a precursor of the gender factor in the 2014 campaign, Grimes also cited McConnell's voting record on the Violence Against Women Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Paycheck Fairness Act. She also linked McConnell to other Republican politicians' controversial remarks, the "legitimate rape" comments of 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin and the statement this week by Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) blaming “hormones” for increased rates of sexual assault in the military. - WHAS 11, 6/6/13
It's understandable that this is not an easy decision to make. McConnell has a big war chest and he's not only beaten his opponents but also ended their political careers. But I do hope Grimes can make a decision soon because I too would love to get rid of McConnell. Hopefully we'll be hearing an announcement from Grimes soon. Meanwhile, Curtis Morrison is showing no remorse for eavesdropping and recording McConnell and his staff plotting to take down Ashley Judd:
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
Morrison, 44, unemployed and now living with his sister in California, has kept up the heat on McConnell despite being the subject of a federal grand jury investigation into the secret recording.
He has written a piece for Salon, a national news website, in which he acknowledged making the recording, and has gone on national television to imply that members of political action committees illegally attended the McConnell meeting.
He’s also given numerous interviews with local reporters.
“Since I have not done anything nearly as egregious as anyone has alleged, I feel like I should not cower and hide,” he said.
Jesse Benton, McConnell’s campaign manager said “unequivocally” that no representatives of super PACs were present at the meeting.
Friends describe Morrison as “fearless” and say no one should be surprised he refuses to back down.
“That’s precisely why he is a valued friend,” said Brian Tucker, another blogger in Louisville. “Because of of his loyalty and personal commitment.” - Louisville Courier-Journal, 6/7/13
I for one thank Morrison for exposing McConnell and I wish him the best of luck with everything.