Name: Amy McGrath 'strongly' stands by ad despite Republican governors' objections
Brand: courier-journal.com
SKU: courier-journal-com-29
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Amy McGrath 'strongly' stands by ad despite Republican governors' objections

preview

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsKentucky Senate candidate Amy McGrath is standing by a television advertisement that debuted Saturday despite a rebuke by&nbsp;two of the governors featured in the new spot.McGrath, a Democrat, who is vying for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's seat, speaks&nbsp;directly to the camera in the 60-second ad.The retired Marine fighter pilot says that American governors from both parties are the ones showing real leadership&nbsp;amid the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Just like when I served&nbsp;combat, we can see our leaders on the front lines, only this time it’s in our states," she says.McGrath then spotlights a group of bipartisan governors including Kentucky's Andy Beshear. It also features&nbsp;Ohio's&nbsp;Mike DeWine and Maryland's Larry Hogan, both Republicans, before taking a swipe at McConnell."(McConnell) doesn't want to pass what he calls 'blue state bailouts' even though Kentucky would get badly needed help too," McGrath tells viewers.Governors have seen huge bipartisan approval ratings&nbsp;for their handling of the COVID-19 crisis.&nbsp;DeWine is among the biggest recipients of that praise with&nbsp;&nbsp;of 84% approval among fellow Republicans and 90%&nbsp;among Democrats.DeWine, however, scolded McGrath for using his image hours before it was released on social media,&nbsp;saying that he and Ohioans are focused exclusively on getting through the pandemic&nbsp;and getting back to work."It’s for that reason that I’m particularly disappointed with an attack ad by Amy McGrath that uses my image against my friend, Mitch McConnell," DeWine said in a statement Saturday."Mitch and I have worked together for a long time and I know that he is focused, as I am, on this crisis and I appreciate his leadership. I ask for the McGrath campaign to remove my image from her advertising immediately."Hogan said in a tweet Saturday&nbsp;about McGrath's ad that he has&nbsp;repeatedly discouraged partisan finger-pointing during the pandemic."I appreciate the praise, but campaign ads politicizing the coronavirus response are not constructive towards the urgent goal of bringing everyone together to fight our common enemy: the virus," he said.McConnell's allies quickly pounced saying the McGrath ad had already backfired but she&nbsp;told The Courier Journal she has no intention of running away from her message to voters."This is exactly what’s wrong with politics," McGrath said. "Every comment is, unfortunately, examined through a red or blue lens. In this case, I'm&nbsp;pointing out that leadership doesn't depend on your political jersey color. It's about your actions."McGrath expressed that she still believes DeWine is doing "important work"&nbsp;for Ohio as are governors on both sides of the aisle. But she said&nbsp;she&nbsp;is let down by&nbsp;the Buckeye State leader's&nbsp;response to the TV ad.&nbsp;"It is disappointing that he rejects sincere appreciation from a Democrat, and it shows how far we have strayed from our ideals as a nation," McGrath said.One of McGrath's points in the ad takes McConnell to task for suggesting states file for bankruptcy&nbsp;rather than receive more federal&nbsp;assistance. Democratic and Republican governors spoke out last month against McConnell's suggestion. Hogan was among those who criticized McConnell during the pandemic. He called&nbsp;the bankruptcy remarks&nbsp;"complete nonsense" and said&nbsp;he hopes the Kentucky Republican would reconsider that statement.&nbsp;Republican critics said McGrath's reaction amounts to a slap at one of the very governors her ad seeks to praise."'It’s sad he didn’t appreciate being in my attack ad'&nbsp;is a helluva take from Amy McGrath," Republican strategist Michael Duncan said in a tweet Staruday.McConnell campaign spokeswoman Kate Cooksey said Saturday the McGrath ad shows how she is "only interested in shamelessly cozying up to popular leaders like DeWine."But McConnell&nbsp;launched a similar 15-second spot in early April about his coronavirus efforts that&nbsp;featured Beshear who has been noted to have equally high approval ratings.The McConnell spot also jabbed at McGrath, but in that instance Kentucky's Democratic governor did not speak out against the use of his image in the advertisement.Reach Phillip M. Bailey at pbailey@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4475. Follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;View Comments

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsKentucky Senate candidate Amy McGrath is standing by a television advertisement that debuted Saturday despite a rebuke by&nbsp;two of the governors featured in the new spot.McGrath, a Democrat, who is vying for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's seat, speaks&nbsp;directly to the camera in the 60-second ad.The retired Marine fighter pilot says that American governors from both parties are the ones showing real leadership&nbsp;amid the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Just like when I served&nbsp;combat, we can see our leaders on the front...

Amy McGrath 'strongly' stands by ad despite Republican governors' objections

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS