Amy McGrath, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s leading Democratic opponent in the 2020 Kentucky Senate race, raised $10.7 million in the third quarter of 2019 after launching her campaign in July. McGrath, who narrowly lost a House race in 2018, has already proven her ability to draw large donations, as her campaign raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after declaring her campaign.
McGrath’s campaign received 299,000 contributions, with an average donation of $36, according to her campaign. Significantly, McGrath’s third quarter haul is greater than that of several presidential candidates.
“Mitch McConnell has never faced an opponent like Amy McGrath. Not only does a new independent poll show the race tied, but more than a quarter-million grassroots donations-from all 120 Kentucky counties-have provided us a record-shattering first quarter of nearly $11 million to take down McConnell and his self-serving special interest allies. Change is coming,” McGrath campaign manager Mark Nickolas said in a statement, referring to a poll of registered and likely voters by AARP showing McConnell ahead of McGrath by one percentage point.
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McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985, has easily dispatched Democratic challengers in previous elections. However, the senator is deeply unpopular in the state, and is the least popular senator in the country, with a disapproval rating of 50% in his home state, according to Morning Consult.
Navy Vet