In a new ad from Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, a handful of women from the Bluegrass state stare straight into the camera and blast Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell for his 30-year record on women.
“Shame on you Mitch McConnell,” an African-American woman says, arms crossed.
“You’ve turned your back on our mothers, our daughters, and me,” another woman continues.
More women lambaste the Senate minority leader for voting against the Paycheck Fairness Act and declining to vote for an expanded Violence Against Women Act in 2012: “Instead of enforcing equal pay for equal work, you called it preferential treatment,” one says. Another: “You’ve stood against stronger laws on domestic violence.”
With a recent Bluegrass poll released on October 20 finding the candidates in a dead heat without a gender gap in either direction, both candidates are fighting aggressively over women’s vote with little time left until the midterm election on November 4.
In an ad last week, the McConnell campaign also showed women speaking into the camera, accusing Grimes of thinking she’s got the vote just because she isn’t a man. “She thinks I’ll vote for the candidate that looks like me, rather than the one who represents me,” one woman said.
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But based on his track record, McConnell positioning himself as a champion of women is a tough sell.
“How dare you claim to be pro-women,” a woman in the Grimes ad says. “Real Kentucky women know better,” another woman concludes.
Grimes on Sunday was endorsed by two of the biggest news outlets in Kentucky, The Courier-Journal and Kentucky.com. Both commended her support for women, particularly in closing the wage gap.
Anna Brand