McGrath wins Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Kentucky


Amy McGrath won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Kentucky and will face Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) in the Nov. 3 general election.

With 99% of precincts reporting, McGrath had 45% of the vote to state Rep. Charles Booker’s 43%. Eight other candidates were on the ballot. The race was called Tuesday, a week following the election, as counties finished counting absentee ballots.

McGrath had raised $41 million as of June 3—more than any other U.S. Senate candidate nationally. The Senate candidate with the second-highest total was McConnell with $33 million. Two other Senate candidates nationally had raised more than $20 million; Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) with $31 million and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) with $21 million.

Among McGrath’s Democratic primary opponents, Charles Booker raised the second-highest amount of $793,000.

McGrath describes herself as progressive on some issues and conservative on others. She supports improving the Affordable Care Act and gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Booker ran as a progressive, backing Medicare for All, an immediate minimum wage increase to $15 an hour, and a universal basic income.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, VoteVets, and more than a dozen unions were among McGrath’s endorsers. Booker’s endorsers included Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the Working Families Party, and the Sunrise Movement.

McConnell was first elected in 1984. Kentucky last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1992.

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