On Tuesday, the Associated Press called the June 23 Democratic primary for Kentucky’s U.S. Senate seat for Marine veteran Amy McGrath.
With about 520,000 votes counted as of Tuesday afternoon, McGrath leads state Rep. Charles Booker 45-43 in the contest to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Though the primary took place a week ago, state election authorities advised that final tallies would be delayed due to a surge in mail-in votes, which made up most of the total and take longer to count.
Booker, a vocal progressive who has been a highly visible presence at protests against police violence, picked up attention and support as the election drew closer. He performed well with the voters who cast their votes on primary day. But McGrath, whose massive financial advantage allowed her to blanket the airwaves, made up for it by performing well with mail-in ballots.
However, serious obstacles loom. Kentucky has marched sharply to the right in recent years, and McConnell and his allies have shown they're prepared to match McGrath's considerable war chest. As a result, McGrath heads into the general election as the decided underdog.
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