Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell trashed his likely Democratic opponent for running political advertisements during the coronavirus outbreak in Kentucky.
McConnell will likely face former Marine Corps pilot Amy McGrath in the state’s 2020 senate election. While the two candidates have already run heated advertisements against each other, the Kentucky Republican’s campaign asked McGrath to put a lid on politics as the state deals with the effects of the coronavirus.
“Amy McGrath’s decision to blanket the airwaves with deceitful ads during the coronavirus outbreak is tasteless and shameful,” Kevin Golden, McConnell’s campaign manager, told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “As Kentuckians adjust their daily lives and schedules to help stem the outbreak, the last thing they need to see on TV is negative political advertising.”
He added, “The McGrath campaign must stop airing all of their advertisements.”
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McGrath has been running advertisements on MSNBC and Fox News since announcing her candidacy in July. Terry Sebastian, a spokesman for her campaign, argued that attacks on McConnell’s response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak are fair game.
“Amy is well aware of the stress the coronavirus pandemic is causing Kentuckians and our nation. The only person who doesn’t seem to understand that is Sen. McConnell,” Sebastian said. “He has a 35-year failed track record on issues like health care and jobs in Kentucky, and now — during a public health crisis — he took a long weekend instead of doing his job and working to pass a relief package immediately.”
As of Tuesday morning, Kentucky had 25 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and one death related to the illness. McConnell canceled the Senate’s scheduled recess for this week to address a coronavirus legislative package that was being worked on in the House.
