While his opponent Amy McGrath has been reportedly attacking him in political ads as the coronavirus plagues their constituency, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s campaign suspended its voter contact program in order to query voters if the campaign can provide meals to at-risk constituents.
As The Daily Caller reported, McConnell Senate Committee campaign manager Kevin Golden stated:
As Senator McConnell leads bipartisan efforts to help Kentuckians and all Americans cope with the impact of the coronavirus, Amy McGrath continues to run millions of dollars in false, negative political advertising designed to tear us apart. A candidate whose partisanship and ideology is so extreme that she cannot understand what people need in times of crisis is one that should not represent her political party, let alone the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Team Mitch has suspended its voter contact program and is asking Kentuckians if we can be a resource to provide meals for those who are at-risk and cannot get a meal on their own during this difficult time.
A McConnell campaign official informed the Daily Caller, “We paused our entire voter contact program and turned it into an outreach effort for at-risk Kentuckians. Phone bank volunteers are now standing by as operators for folks who need help. Staff and volunteers who, under normal circumstances, would be fanning out across the state to canvass and distribute campaign literature have been now tasked with assisting the needy during this difficult time.”
The Lexington Herald Leader reported that Golden stated, “Amy McGrath’s decision to blanket the airwaves with deceitful ads during the coronavirus outbreak is tasteless and shameful. 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. The McGrath campaign must stop airing all of their advertisements.”
On Monday, the Courier-Journal ran an op-ed by McGrath in which she attacked McConnell, writing, “Instead of acting immediately to include provisions in an emergency bill to control the costs of vaccines and treatments being developed in response to this outbreak, he held up coronavirus funding in order to make sure Big Pharma would still be able to gouge prices.”
On Tuesday night, McGrath tweeted, “Mitch McConnell doesn’t care about our commonwealth or our country. He showed that last weekend to the country, and he’s shown that to Kentucky for the past 35 years.” She cited Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post asserting, “Finally, the Republican-led Senate is fiddling while Rome burns. The failure to take an immediate vote on the house’s relief package last week was emblematic of the sloth and irresponsibility of Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.”
Mitch McConnell doesn’t care about our commonwealth or our country. He showed that last weekend to the country, and he’s shown that to Kentucky for the past 35 years. pic.twitter.com/RL4HhTWBdq
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) March 18, 2020
One problem, as NRSC Senior Advisor Matt Whitlock pointed out: “This is a stunning and embarrassing display of ignorance — the House bill made it to the Senate this morning. You want to pretend you’re running a credible challenge to the *Senate Majority Leader* and you get this stuff wrong? Come on.”
This is a stunning and embarrassing display of ignorance — the House bill made it to the Senate this morning.
You want to pretend you’re running a credible challenge to the *Senate Majority Leader* and you get this stuff wrong? Come on.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 18, 2020
McConnell’s official account noted that The Washington Post corrected the Rubin assertion. The account quoted the Post admitting, “An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delayed a vote on the House’s coronavirus relief package.” The account added, “Why does Amy McGrath keep lying during a public health crisis?”
"An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delayed a vote on the House’s coronavirus relief package." – @washingtonpost
Why does Amy McGrath keep lying during a public health crisis? https://t.co/m1x89TMw5i
— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) March 18, 2020