Amy McGrath, who is challenging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his Senate seat in 2020, set a record in first-day campaign fund aising.
The retired Marine fighter pilot’s campaign received $2.5 million within 24 hours of her campaign launch Tuesday, a record amount for a fledgling Senate run, the McGrath campaign announced Wednesday.
The entire haul came from online donations, and the average donation was a little over $36.
McGrath is running to unseat McConnell, a six-term senator, in a deep-red state that voted for President Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016 by nearly 30 points. McGrath’s heavy fundraising day is likely a symbol of Democrats’ antipathy for the Senate majority leader.
Network attention on McConnell and his Senate race likely gave McGrath’s campaign launch a boost. On Monday, NBC News connected McConnell’s stance against reparations to the fact that two of his ancestors, his great-great-grandfathers James McConnell and Richard Daley, were slave owners.
McConnell responded to the implication by invoking former President Barack Obama, who also opposes reparations.
“I find myself once again in the same position as President Obama,” McConnell said. “We both oppose reparations and we both are the descendants of slaveholders.”
McGrath also scored an interview on CNN on Tuesday evening after announcing her campaign.
