Former Andy Beshear staffer forms Super PAC to raise money for Amy McGrath
The former campaign manager for Gov. Andy Beshear is forming a political action committee to raise money for former Marine Corps pilot Amy McGrath, signaling support for McGrath from the Kentucky Democratic establishment as she attempts to unseat U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Eric Hyers, who successfully guided Beshear’s victory over former Gov. Matt Bevin, is forming Fire Mitch Save America, a super PAC dedicated to “replacing Mitch McConnell with Amy McGrath,” according to Hyers. The PAC will be run by several Beshear campaign alumnus.
“Many of the people on this team played a role in ousting one of the most unpopular people in Kentucky,” Hyers said. “And we are excited to oust one of the most unpopular senators in the country.”
Beshear was able to unseat Bevin, whose controversial comments about political opponents and allies made him unpopular, by running a disciplined campaign that avoided talking about contentious national issues.
Beshear’s victory this November breathed life into Democratic hopes of unseating McConnell in 2020, by showing there is still a path for a Democrat to win statewide in Kentucky. But that race was about a political office in Kentucky, not about a seat in the U.S. Senate. Beshear never weighed in on the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, for example, even as Bevin attempted to make national issues the focus of his campaign.
That strategy won’t work for McGrath, who has already been criticized over milquetoast statements on the impeachment proceedings and Trump. That criticism helped draw a primary opponent in state Rep. Charles Booker, D-Louisville, who is backed by many Louisville progressives.
The unveiling of the PAC comes two days after Booker officially announced his bid for Senate, an announcement that McConnell’s campaign immediately offered as proof that Democrats aren’t satisfied with McGrath.
“Amy McGrath has spent eight million dollars on a six month campaign but can’t even convince Kentucky Democrats she deserves their party’s nomination,” Kevin Golden, McConnell’s campaign manager, said after Booker’s announcement. “They see Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidate as an objectively horrible choice destined to repeat her 2018 loss.”
In his campaign announcement, Booker denounced the approach candidates like Beshear have taken when running in Kentucky, saying Democrats won’t be able to beat McConnell by running a “soft-center” campaign. He said Democrats need to challenge McConnell on the issues and he is campaigning on a progressive platform that includes support for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
When asked if Booker’s announcement influenced the creation of the PAC, Hyers dismissed the question.
“No, not at all,” he said.
Mark Nickolas, McGrath’s campaign manager, said a PAC run by Hyers doesn’t signal that McGrath has the support of the Kentucky Democratic establishment.
“I think the signal is for people who are interested in contributing beyond the legal limits, they should have confidence to contribute to the Super PAC,” Nickolas said.
Fire Mitch Save America is not the first PAC to get in the race. The Ditch Mitch Fund, run by Ryan Aquilina of Washington D.C., has been active since 2018 and uses Dave Contarino, who created a PAC called Kentucky Family Values, as a political consultant. Ditch Mitch has already raised $5 million, according to Aquilina.
In the race for president, many Democrats have been turning away from Super PACs and large donations. Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg has been criticized for feting big donors to raise money for his campaign.
Nickolas said he wasn’t concerned about the association with a Super PAC.
“We’ve got to fight fire with fire,” Nickolas said. “We have to defeat him at the game he created. We’re not going to run this race with one arm tied behind our back.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
