‘I will be taking my talents to ...’ Read an excerpt from Matt Jones’ book, ‘Mitch, Please!’

Lexington is essentially the home base for the state of Kentucky. Technically, Frankfort is the capital and Louisville the largest city, but when it comes to the heart and soul of Kentucky, it lies in the middle of Fayette County. Every major industry important to the state’s economy has a foothold here: coal, bourbon, horse racing, tobacco, farming, and automobiles are all either centralized here or have important components in the city. The state’s main university is located downtown—along with the mecca of college basketball, the twenty-two-thousand-seat Rupp Arena—and given the commonwealth’s love for the Cats, the “trip to the big city” for most of the state means going to Lexington.

It has also been my base for the past twenty-plus years. Even though I have lived elsewhere at times, my education, my business, and my friendships have always been centered in Lexington. So, it made perfect sense to me that we would end our tour in the city that in many ways is the pulse of the state.

Politically speaking, Lexington is as close to a swing district as you will find in Kentucky. It is progressive enough that it had a very popular openly gay Democratic mayor, yet conservative enough that it is represented in Congress by the Trump-loving Republican Andy Barr. The city is generally very content, there is little unrest, and the economy is consistently good enough that work is relatively easy to find. It’s a perfect college town.

With my removal from radio still stinging, I decided to go off the grid for a few days. I had all the information I needed to make a decision. Andy Beshear proved that a Democrat could still win in Kentucky if the circumstances were correct. After his victory, national progressive groups were reaching out in bulk, offering support if I entered the race. When Chuck Schumer agreed to lift his unofficial embargo on my candidacy, some top-level staffers—including highly respected campaign managers—became interested in meeting. Recruiting a quality staff was no longer going to be an issue. My internal polling on the race versus McConnell showed that I would be an underdog, but an underdog with a path to victory. My head-to-head numbers against him were closer than any other candidate’s (5 to 7 points), and many more people were “willing to consider” voting for me over other Democrats. If I wanted a case for getting into the election, there certainly was one to be made.

Of course, the negatives were still there too. The state loves Donald Trump. He will be on the ballot in 2020 and get 60 percent of the vote, making it more difficult for Kentucky Democrats to win down-ballot races. McConnell will clearly play unbelievably dirty, and running puts not only my life, but those of my family, girlfriend, and friends all directly into the national public eye. It isn’t an exaggeration to say this could be the second-biggest race in America besides the presidential race in 2020. So it’s not unrealistic to think that foreign countries might try to interfere with the proceedings. The amount of spying or hacking that could occur toward me is impossible to predict...

I took a trip to my alma mater, Transylvania University, just off Fourth Street and Broadway in the downtown area, to walk around... As I walked into the building where I took all my political science classes, I could hear in my head the voice of my favorite professor at the school, Dr. Don Dugi. I once told him I might one day want to run for office in DC, and he said he thought that was a terrible idea. “Jones, these people in Washington play a different game from everyone else. It’s ruthless. That’s not you. The people who succeed there care only about themselves and will stab anyone in the back for power. You don’t want that life.”

Part of me thinks he is right. Look at Mitch McConnell. He is, by all accounts, one of the greatest politicians of modern times, becoming, through cunning and political acumen, the most powerful legislator in the United States since Lyndon Johnson. But he is also universally reviled and disliked even by those he helps. He is said to have virtually no friends or close personal relationships. Is that what I really want?

Then I think of the messages of support and hope I have been flooded with for the past few months. In every county, I have heard the same message: “Matt, you have to run. You can win, and we will get behind you and help you!” I am sure every candidate hears some version of this, and it can easily create a distorted reality. But it is also effective and exhilarating. You truly begin to believe there is a movement for you, whether there is one or not. Still, I can’t run in order to make others happy. If my heart isn’t in it, then it wouldn’t be the right thing to do.

I feel guilty for where my mind is taking me. Selfishly, I think it isn’t worth the personal sacrifice required to take on this monster. But I also know Mitch needs to be defeated. I decide to call Rocky Adkins in Elliott County and get advice on what to do. We both have agreed not to run against each other, so if he is running, my decision is made. It would make it easy. Rock can win and I won’t feel the burden of letting down so many people.

After exchanging pleasantries, Rocky leads off the conversation. “Matt, I have thought about it, and if you want in, and your heart is in it, have at it. I don’t think it’s for me.” Damn it. Rocky beat me to the punch!

“That’s what I was going to say to you!” I tell him. “Look, one of us needs to do this. You have more experience. Why not go for it?” He chuckles and says he doesn’t really want the hassle or to have to deal with what it would mean for his family. I respond that I understand but feel guilty about the conclusion. People all over the state want one of us to get in; if we don’t, aren’t we letting them down?

Rocky replies, “Matt, my dad is an old codger, but he has a lot of wisdom. When I talked to him about this the other day, I said, ‘Dad, a lot of folks want me to run against Mitch. What do you think?’ He looked at me and said, ‘Well, if they want you to run so damn much, tell their ass to run!’”

I laugh out loud. But he was right. Nobody else will have to stand in the ring and go face-to-face with the twin bulls of the Democratic Party and Mitch McConnell except the person running. If I’m not 100 percent ready to step into that arena and devote my every waking moment to it, I’m going to have to say no, even though part of me still wants the fight.

Two days later, I went on my radio show and announced my decision. The KSR sports fans were mostly pleased , preferring that their favorite sports show continue over me leaving for a political race. Lots of people called and wrote in with support—including my mom, who made a rare phone call to show her support. Her words of encouragement made me cry like a baby.

There was a lot of anger as well, especially on social media, as Democrats from around the country expressed their frustration that McConnell’s reelection campaign just got easier. Some criticized me for “hurting McGrath” (presumably by the story coming out about her campaign getting me fired from my television show), while others simply called me selfish or weak. It was disappointing, but thanks to Rocky’s dad, I had my retort to them.

I left the studio with mixed emotions. On the one hand, there was a great burden off my shoulders. A decision I had wrestled with for nearly two years was over, for better or worse, and there was relief. But I knew I would eventually have regrets. As I watched the campaign unfold, I was sure I would become frustrated with the decisions the other candidates made, and I would wish I was in the fight. It wouldn’t be healthy, but it was probably inevitable.

From MITCH, PLEASE! by Matt Jones with Chris Tomlin. Copyright © 2020 by Matt Jones. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.