Mitch McConnell easily wins GOP Senate primary in Kentucky
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has won his Republican primary in Kentucky, easily dispatching an attempted Tea Party challenge by businessman Matt Bevin.
The Associated Press has called the race very early; with just 13 percent of precincts reporting, McConnell has 60 percent of the vote against Bevin's 35 percent.
McConnell now faces a very competitive general election against the Democratic nominee, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. A recent SurveyUSA poll gave Grimes a narrow one-point edge, but the race could potentially swing back to McConnell due to the state's heavy Republican advantage in national races.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In newly published comments that Bevin reportedly made a few weeks ago, he took something of a parting shot at McConnell's campaign — as well as the voters who bought Team McConnell's attacks:
"I've never lived my life for the impressions of ill-informed people," he said, describing himself as unbothered by "folks moved by a false narrative painted by somebody with millions of dollars."
He added: "I have been disheartened by how generally apathetic people really, truly are about taking ownership in their role in the political process. It wasn't a surprise, but I've just been disheartened by how true it really is." [The New York Times]
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Antibiotic resistance: the hidden danger on Ukraine’s frontlinesUnder The Radar Threat is spreading beyond war zones to the ‘doorstep’ of western Europe
-
‘Capitalism: A Global History’ by Sven Beckert and ‘American Canto’ by Olivia NuzziFeature A consummate history of capitalism and a memoir from the journalist who fell in love with RFK Jr.
-
Who will the new limits on student loans affect?The Explainer The Trump administration is imposing new limits for federal student loans starting on July 1, 2026
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million