Republican Mitch McConnell first won election to the Senate nearly 30 years ago, in 1984. This year he faces a Democrat who was born just a few years before McConnell took office, 34-year-old Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.
Political pundits point out that McConnell has one of the lowest incumbent approval ratings in Congress, and he won his last re-election by only six percentage points. McConnell might also face a Tea Party challenger.
But supporters of McConnell are fighting back with an Auto-Tune spoof of Grimes, and a political alliance with Tea Party favorite Rand Paul, Kentucky’s junior senator.
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Roll Call “Grimes, 34, was elected as Kentucky’s secretary of state in 2011 with more than 60 percent of the vote in her first bid for public office. Before that, she was an attorney in Lexington. She is an attractive and articulate young woman who comes from a very politically active family.”
New York Daily News “The clip lasts 1 minute and 36 seconds, repeating the question, ‘What rhymes with Alison Lundergan Grimes?’ ‘Sticks to party line,’ ‘left wing mime’ and ‘not ready for prime time’ were the main answers given for words that sound like the Southern Belle’s last name.”
Guest:
- Phillip Bailey, political editor for Here & Now Contributors Network member station WFPL in Louisville, Kentucky.
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