Amy McGrath wins Democratic primary, will challenge Mitch McConnell for Kentucky Senate seat
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Kentucky's Democratic Senate primary finally has a winner.
A week after voters went to the polls, CNN and The Associated Press are projecting that retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath will win a tight race against state Rep. Charles Booker. She'll challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as he seeks a seventh term in office this fall.
McGrath at first appeared to be the easy favorite to win the primary, getting support from establishment Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Booker meanwhile ran to the left of McGrath, earning endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other progressive leaders. His candidacy rocketed even further as protests and conversations surrounding systemic racism and police brutality rose across the U.S.
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.
Booker and McGrath's contest was too close to call until Tuesday morning, largely due to a sea of absentee ballots that had to be counted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Tuesday morning, McGrath had just a bit more than a 10,000-vote lead over Booker, with more than 528,000 votes cast. McGrath is still considered a long shot when it comes to beating McConnell this fall, though she has been outraising the incumbent.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
One great cookbook: Joshua McFadden’s ‘Six Seasons of Pasta’the week recommends The pasta you know and love. But ever so much better.
-
Scientists are worried about amoebasUnder the radar Small and very mighty
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
