US: Federal coronavirus response dominates Kentucky Senate race

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's prominent role in federal response to coronavirus pandemic has become Topic A in his bitter campaign against Democratic challenger Amy McGrath, providing fodder for both sides.

McConnell boasts about billions in relief money delivered to Kentucky, while McGrath claims Republican senator has put corporate interests ahead of out-of-work Kentuckians.

Dueling TV commercials in high-spending Kentucky campaign have crystallized an issue that is dominating political landscape heading toward vember election.

In McConnell's latest campaign ad debuting Tuesday, several people credit aid y received from Paycheck Protection Program for saving ir small businesses and preserving jobs. As a western Kentucky barbecue restaurant owner put it: PPP “saved our butts."

commercial appears aimed at countering a recent McGrath ad claiming McConnell prioritized his “special interest friends" over plight of unemployed Kentuckians.

With coronavirus cases surging in Kentucky, putting state's tenuous ecomic recovery at risk, pandemic looms as dominant issue as McConnell seeks a seventh term and McGrath tries to unseat him in an underdog campaign backed by a massive campaign fund.

“This is an issue that combines two issues that are typically one and two for Kentucky voters — jobs and health care," said longtime Kentucky political commentator Al Cross.

bickering comes as Senate prepares to discuss a new round of federal virus-related aid. McConnell met with President Donald Trump at White House on Monday to discuss next pack. In a Senate speech Tuesday, McConnell echoed messaging coming from White House when he argued for need to keep ecomy open even as coronavirus cases spike in some parts of country, including his home state.

“ American people cant completely stop building ir lives until a vaccine is available," he said. “ United States of America was t built for a defensive crouch. We need to stand up an educational system and an ecomy that works for workers and families in meantime. We need to find right middle ground that is smart and safe, but also more sustainable."

Since spring, McConnell has crisscrossed Kentucky to thank front-line health care workers for combating virus and tout federal assistance flowing into state. He's also promoted mask wearing in public as a crucial behavior to help curb virus' spread.

McGrath has said next relief pack should include funding for a federal testing and tracing program, ar infusion of money for state and local governments and an extension of extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits. She said re have been “holes" in federal response and accuses McConnell of failing to standing up to Trump on issue.

“All along, throughout this coronavirus, we have seen mixed messs from administration," she said Monday. “We have seen leadership downplay pandemic, we've seen leadership say that it’s going to go away and all of this stuff, mixed messs whole time.”

McConnell campaign spokeswoman Kate Cooksey pushed back against what she called McGrath's “deceptive coronavirus narrative" as Democratic challenger criticizes parts of federal response. She said McGrath should “try talking with thousands of Kentuckians ... whose livelihoods have been saved thanks to Senator McConnell’s leadership."

McConnell’s campaign ted that billions of dollars in federal relief funneled into Kentucky supported hospitals, state and local governments, community health centers, schools, housing programs, businesses and in form of direct payments to families.

McGrath's campaign has tried to portray longtime senator as a Washington insider out of touch with Kentuckians struggling to make ends meet amid pandemic. new McConnell ad fails to mention that Paycheck Protection Program benefits are set to expire in a few weeks, said McGrath campaign spokesman Terry Sebastian.

“Kentuckians have had eugh of Mitch McConnell and will come out in vember to make ir voices heard,” Sebastian said.