Charles Booker paints Amy McGrath as someone who will ‘help Trump’ in his first TV ad
State Rep. Charles Booker, D-Louisville, began airing his first statewide television ad Tuesday in his campaign for U.S. Senate as he attempts to catch Democratic front runner Amy McGrath.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate because, in this crisis, Kentucky needs a real Democrat to take on Mitch McConnell,” Booker says in the ad. “Someone who will fight to guarantee health care and living wages for all, and not help Trump just get his way.”
He then goes a step further, calling McGrath a “pro-Trump Democrat,” an argument his campaign has been using based on a McGrath talking point about how U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was standing in President Donald Trump’s way, blocking him from passing legislation to lower prescription drug costs and build up infrastructure.
Terry Sebastian, McGrath’s spokesman, said McGrath would be willing to work with or stand up to a president of either political party.
“Amy McGrath spent over 20 years serving her country and doing what’s right above partisan politics and that’s what she will do for Kentucky,” Sebastian said. “Working families want to hear solutions not partisan rhetoric. That’s one of the many things that makes her different from Mitch McConnell.”
The ad uses language that downplays some of Booker’s more progressive views, opting for the term “healthcare for all” instead of touting his support of Medicare for All, and using the phrase “a living wage for all” instead of universal basic income, which are two major pillars of his campaign.
It also shows a picture of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear when Booker talks about how Democrats need to mobilize “young and old, black, brown and white, fighting for real change.” Beshear, who has surged in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, is from the more moderate wing of the Kentucky Democratic Party.
Booker got into the race in January, six months after McGrath, and struggled to draw much attention. He was jostling with Lincoln County farmer Mike Broihier to win votes from the progressive wing of the party when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, severely limiting the type of grassroots campaign Booker was running.
But amid ongoing protests over police violence against black people in his hometown after Breonna Taylor and David McAtee were killed at the hands of the Louisville Metro Police Department, the spotlight has been on Booker. His role as both participant in the protests and as someone who’s given direct input to Beshear and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has brought endorsements and increased national attention, including interviews on CNN and MSNBC.
That attention, in turn, has allowed his campaign to raise more money ($700,000 in the month of June, according to his campaign), enabling him to go up with a television ad for the first time in his campaign.
On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Booker, touting his support for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. Booker endorsed Sanders during the presidential primary and McGrath endorsed Biden.
The Democratic primary is on June 23, but all Kentuckians are being asked to vote via absentee ballot if they can. People can request their absentee ballot at www.govoteky.com.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 11:10 AM.
