Both state Rep. Charles Booker and Congressman John Yarmuth issued statements on Friday endorsing Amy McGrath in her race against Senator Mitch McConnell.
Yarmuth is the only Democrat representing Kentucky in Congress, while Booker was one of McGrath’s opponents in the primary, coming close to beating her with a late burst of support across the state.
Booker endorsement statement
Kentucky is sick of an old, broken, political status quo that year after year, ignores the real challenges we face.
People have come to fundamentally believe there isn’t a difference between the two parties, because for too long, their cries have gone unheard. From the hood to the holler, we continue to be dismissed, ignored, and abandoned.
That’s what our movement has always been about: answering the racist Southern Strategy with our own, leading with truth to break down the barriers that divide us, taking no one for granted, and actually speaking to the real issues other politicians don’t even talk about. Whether it’s a universal basic income, a Green New Deal in Kentucky, standing for fairness and for strengthening our labor unions, honoring Breonna Taylor by radically redefining public safety, or Medicare for All to finally guarantee health care as a right to all, not just the rich, the real solutions that will make life better for our Commonwealth are where we need to focus our energy and effort. We must end poverty. We must uproot structural racism. We must keep bending the arc. I’ll never back down from that fight.
But the cold, hard fact is: those dreams and our vision for a better future will be dead on arrival if the many who proudly calls himself the Grim Reaper of progressive legislation is re-elected to another term leading the United States Senate. I always said that this election was bigger than any one of us, and I mean that. It is urgently critical that we get Mitch McConnell out of the way so that we can do the work of transforming our future. After the primary, I reached out to Amy McGrath, because I know this moment is too important. I urged her to authentically listen to and life up the people of Kentucky. I encouraged her to make the adjustments needed to earn the support of Kentuckians, and finally beat Mitch McConnell. While Amy has the pressing challenge of responding to the cries of the people and standing against big money interests, I know that a vote for Amy McGrath give us the very real chance to push for greater accountability in a Senate no longer shut down by Mitch. For the larger work ahead of us, I’m endorsing her in this election.
We all need to do everything we can to make sure she wins this race, not because that’s the end of our movement’s work, but because it’ll give us a battlefield where we have a fighting change to enact progressive policy, instead of a sworn enemy. This is not a pass to maintain the status quo, and I commit to the people of Kentucky to be the loudest voice in holding Amy accountable once she defeats Mitch McConnell. I hope everyone who supported my campaign joins me in earnestly engaging Amy’s campaign and giving her the chance to earn your vote.
Yarmuth endorsement statement
Today I am proud and excited to join Charles Booker in formally endorsing Amy McGrath’s candidacy for United States Senate, and to urge his followers and mine to devote full energy to her victory in November.
Charles and I have somewhat different policy prescriptions for the country than Amy, but on balance, our differences are minor when compared to the heartless and, frankly, un-American policies advanced by Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues in the Senate.
There could be no clearer choice in this election. Amy McGrath believes government can be effective in making the lives of all Americans better. Mitch McConnell has spent 36 years in the Senate resisting those efforts. Even today, nearly 400 House-passed bills are sitting on Mitch’s desk that he won’t bring up for Senate action. They would make healthcare more affordable, make voting easier for everyone, strengthen our national infrastructure, and most immediately, help sustain millions of Americans suffering during our current national crisis
By contrast, Mitch has spent most of the last four years packing the federal courts with doctrinaire, conservative judges, many woefully unqualified, because he knows the American people want a fairer, more compassionate government. He understands that only reactionary judges and voter suppression can frustrate the will of the people and reward the special interests that fund him and other congressional Republicans.
Insisting on policy purity is okay when the differences between candidates in an election are subtle. I support Medicare for All, Amy is for strengthening the Affordable Care Act and adding a public option. McConnell, on the other hand, has spent the last decade trying to repeal the ACA, while offering no alternative. I surely prefer trusting America’s health to Amy than Mitch. I feel the same about gun safety, voting rights, women’s right to choose, LGBTQ rights, climate change, immigration reform, and virtually every other issue facing our country.
When Amy is in the Senate, I will do everything I can to move Amy McGrath closer to my vision for America, but there’s one thing I know for certain: Amy McGrath will approach every issue with the same goals that I have, to create a more perfect union. I heartily endorse her candidacy.
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