First-time Democratic candidate and campaign viral video star Amy McGrath is now getting a taste of what a general election is going to be like in Kentucky's Sixth Congressional District. Incumbent Republican Rep. Andy Barr is going negative early, with a spot designed to make her look ideologically out-of-step with the conservative-leaning district.
We see McGrath refer to herself as a "feminist," a "progressive" and "pro-choice." Someone off-camera asks her who she voted for in 2008 and 2012. She says "Barack Obama" without hesitation. (Screen text adds she voted for Hillary Clinton as well.) A TV anchor asks her about Donald Trump's idea for a border wall and she bluntly responds, "I think it's absolutely stupid."
The narrator returns to close the ad with, "Amy McGrath, too liberal for Kentucky."
If McGrath can overcome this line of attack, it will say a lot about her strengths as a candidate, and perhaps, about a political shift underway in working-class Appalachia.
Andy Barr Rips Amy McGrath as a "Liberal"
"Who is Amy McGrath," begins a female narrator, with a slightly sneering tone. What follows is a clip montage of McGrath (with some footage possibly captured by a Republican campaign tracker) saying things that aren't very controversial during a Democratic primary, but may look different to Kentucky's general election voters.We see McGrath refer to herself as a "feminist," a "progressive" and "pro-choice." Someone off-camera asks her who she voted for in 2008 and 2012. She says "Barack Obama" without hesitation. (Screen text adds she voted for Hillary Clinton as well.) A TV anchor asks her about Donald Trump's idea for a border wall and she bluntly responds, "I think it's absolutely stupid."
The narrator returns to close the ad with, "Amy McGrath, too liberal for Kentucky."
Andy Barr Steers Clear of the Carpetbagger Attack
When McGrath's Democratic opponent, Jim Gray, went negative in the final days of the primary, his ad tried to tag her as a carpetbagger. But the ad backfired, as McGrath reminded voters she lived out-of-district because of her military service. Barr, in turn, isn't going there. Instead, he's focusing squarely on ideology.If McGrath can overcome this line of attack, it will say a lot about her strengths as a candidate, and perhaps, about a political shift underway in working-class Appalachia.