Mitch McConnell launches new ad highlighting his role in passing coronavirus stimulus
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell launched a new campaign ad Wednesday highlighting his leadership role during the novel coronavirus epidemic.
The ad focuses on the $2 trillion relief package the Senate passed last week, which will give money directly to most Americans, offers around $360 billion in grants and loan forgiveness to small businesses and provide $500 billion in loans to big businesses.
“America is in crisis like never before. And in times of crisis, we look to leaders,” a narrator says in the ad. “Mitch McConnell led the passage of the biggest economic rescue package in history.”
The ad comes after McConnell called on one of his potential Democratic opponents to take down her ads during the pandemic and after he was criticized for his early response to the epidemic. He attended a judge’s swearing-in ceremony in Louisville March 13 with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanugh while waiting for a relief bill to be delivered by the House.
“Amy McGrath’s decision to blanket the airwaves with deceitful ads during the coronavirus outbreak is tasteless and shameful,” McConnell’s campaign said on March 16. “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.”
Negative political advertising has not been stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shortly after demanding McGrath take down her ads, McConnell started airing his own ad pushing back against McGrath’s claims, saying that while “Amy McGrath lies, Mitch McConnell leads.”
Democratic candidate Mike Broihier has also been running digital ads criticizing both McConnell and McGrath.
It is unclear how exactly the coronavirus pandemic will shape politics in 2020. Already, it has caused Kentucky’s primary to be pushed back to June 23 and polls have started to show President Donald Trump’s approval rating starting to rise.
McConnell and McGrath are trying to use some of their obscene amounts of political money (both have raised more than most Senate candidates) to define McConnell’s response to the pandemic.
At the root of much of the advertising is a decision by McConnell to stay out of negotiations on phase two of the coronavirus relief package, leaving the negotiations to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin. While that negotiation was ongoing, the Senate recessed and McConnell went back to Louisville.
As the coronavirus pandemic continued to get worse, McConnell was swiftly criticized by Democrats. Upon returning to the Capitol, McConnell promised to move at “warp speed” to pass the relief bill.
His efforts were delayed, first by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, who offered an amendment that delayed the vote for a day (Paul later tested positive for the coronavirus), then by Democrats who claimed during negotiations that too much of the money was going to big businesses.
Despite the delays, last week Trump signed the bill, which was negotiated in-part by McConnell. It will send a check directly to anyone who makes less than $99,000 a year and couples that make less than $198,000 a year.
The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee pushed back on the fact that McConnell was claiming credit for the stimulus bill, saying he was misleading people after an “out-of-touch” original proposal from Republicans.
“McConnell forced two failed partisan votes in the Senate on a GOP plan that fell short on unemployment benefits and protections for workers and did not deliver enough urgent resources for hospitals, while giving a blank check to giant corporations without oversight,” said Stewart Boss, a spokesman for the DSCC. “That’s not leadership in a crisis — it’s everything that’s wrong with politics in Washington.”
CNN has reported that McConnell was in close contact with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear when he was ironing out details of the stimulus bill. Beshear has asked Kentuckians to put aside partisan politics and focus on limiting the spread of COVID-19.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
