Kentucky Senate race: how it became 'Clash of the Titans'
Both sides are rolling out big names and big money in the Kentucky Senate race, despite polls indicating Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes faces tough odds in her bid to oust Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell.
鈥淪he鈥檚 been behind in every poll but one for months,鈥� Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor for the Cook Political Report,听听Wednesday. 鈥淭he one poll she was ahead by a point was her own. I just think there鈥檚 been a conventional wisdom developing that she鈥檚 in trouble.鈥�
This week Mitt Romney and Bill Clinton are hopping into the race to fund-raise and advertise, bringing even bigger names听into a bruising contest that鈥檚 on track to burn through听听鈥� more than any other race in US Senate history.听Many observers call it the highest profile race of the year.听
But why spend so much money 鈥� and bring in so much star power 鈥� when most polling shows Senator McConnell leading in red-leaning Kentucky? It鈥檚 likely because the race, for Democrats, is about something bigger: Getting rid of McConnell and keeping the Senate blue.
鈥婱eanwhile, GOP control of the US Senate is a key objective for outside conservative groups, who are outspending liberal groups in this race 2 to 1, according to听听(颁搁笔).
"At one point this race was closer than it is now," says听Dewey Clayton, a political science professor at the University of Louisville, adding that it appears "some of the heavy spending by outside groups is actually starting to be somewhat effective."
The candidates have transformed the race into a referendum on national politics, and national political money is pouring in to help them. The Kentucky Opportunity Coalition, an outside group not required to disclose its donors, has spent $6.9 million, as of Sept. 30, to defeat Ms. Grimes.听Senate majority leader Harry Reid has directed $4.3 million through his Senate Majority PAC (political action committee) to defeat McConnell, according to the CRP.听
Both McConnell and Grimes are doing their best to tie the other to unpopular Washington institutions: McConnell casts Grimes as an Obama lackey, and Grimes blames McConnell for a dysfunctional Congress.听
To counter those images, each candidate is banking on help from party favorites, Mr. Romney and Mr. Clinton.
Grimes launches a television ad Thursday featuring Clinton 鈥� the first Senate campaign ad the former president has been in this cycle,听. Clinton has taken two trips to Kentucky to back Grimes so far this year.
And Romney is stumping and fund-raising for McConnell in Kentucky Thursday. Romney鈥檚 ability to rake in cash and energize Republicans has made him a听. This week, he鈥檒l visit seven states 鈥� covering almost 6,000 miles, from Colorado to Kentucky 鈥� backing candidates in tight races. Those candidates鈥� success could help Republicans capture the Senate in November.
Romney鈥檚 jet-setting comes as some agitate for the former Massachusetts governor to make yet another presidential run.听Romney advisers have publicly tried to quell that enthusiasm, but he nonetheless remains popular 鈥� possibly because his party lacks an obvious standard-bearer in the run-up to the 2016 presidential primaries.
"There's a vacuum," John Jordan, a high-profile Republican donor from California,听. "When there's 10 people in a possible presidential field, it's difficult for anyone to look presidential.鈥�
Grimes鈥檚 campaign and national Democrats contend that the contest is far from over, saying Grimes has a good shot at unseating McConnell.听After leading in early polls, Grimes has dropped 5.3 points beyond McConnell, according to a听听.
鈥淭his is still very much a margin-of-error race,鈥澨齁ustin Barasky, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
