McConnell says Senate reelection bid like a ‘knife fight’ during Corbin fundraiser Tuesday

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (second from left) spoke at a fundraiser Tuesday evening at the home of Terry and Marion Forcht in Corbin. U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (far right) also attended the event in support of McConnell who is seeking reelection.

Likening his race for U.S. Senate to a "slugfest" and a "knife fight," Mitch McConnell said during a fundraiser in Corbin Tuesday evening that he expects to secure a narrow victory in November and hopes it comes with another prize too — a promotion to Senate Majority Leader.

Speaking to a crowd of about 50 people at the home of Terry and Marion Forcht, McConnell, a Republican who serves as Senate Minority Leader, said despite massive spending and enormous interest in his race against Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan-Grimes, currently Kentucky’s Secretary of State, he holds a slim lead in statewide polls.

"We have a lot of outside groups hounding me. You are seeing that on a virtually daily basis," McConnell told the group of Republican Party stalwarts. "This has been a slugfest for a year and a half … despite all that, I do have a lead, not a huge lead, but I do have a lead. I think we are going to be able to put this in the win column, but it’s a very, very costly undertaking."

McConnell said he expects to raise about $30 million in campaign funds before voters go to the polls in November. He estimates Grimes will have around $20 million. Pundits have said that it could be the first Senate race in the history of the nation to top $100 million in spending once cash from outside groups is factored in.

McConnell said it dawned on him recently how big of a deal the race is in Kentucky when, during a recent campaign swing through the state, he had reporters from Australia and Japan following him around.

"The eyes of the country are on this race, and yes … the eyes of the world are on this race. It’s an international event," McConnell said. "There is no presidential contest this year. This is the biggest race in the country. And the consequences are enormous."

McConnell has provided steady opposition to many of the policies forwarded and implemented by U.S. President Barack Obama. Nowhere can that be seen more clearly than the fight over the Affordable Care Act – an overhaul of the nation’s health care system often referred to as "Obamacare." McConnell is opposed to it and has worked diligently to defund the program. He said it’s a tough fight while serving as the Minority Leader in the Senate.

"The Majority Leader of the Senate gets to set the agenda and decide what we are going to debate," McConnell told the crowd. "To trade me in for a rookie who will simply be a voice for the status quo … is not good for Kentucky."

McConnell has served in the Senate since January 1985. He is the seventh most senior Senator in the U.S. Senate and is the longest serving U.S. Senator in the state’s history.

He was elected as his party’s leader in the Senate in 2006.

McConnell told his supporters that the reason this election is so close is because being elected leader of your party draws more attention and scrutiny. In previous re-election bids he cruised to victory rather easily, including a sound defeat of current Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.

Supporting him Tuesday was popular U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers who serves the state’s 5th Congressional District. Rogers said McConnell needs to be re-elected to give the Republican Party a shot of leading the Senate next year. He said the current situation is untenable because, under Democratic control, bills proposed and passed by the Republican-led House of Representatives simply "go in the wastebasket."

"We’ve sent over 360 bills from the House to the Senate, not a one of which has been allowed to the floor," Rogers said.
Kentucky State Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) also spoke in support of McConnell, saying that the state would be obligated to pay $250 million in a couple of years to cover the cost of "Obamacare" unless "something changes at the federal level."

McConnell and Rogers appeared together earlier in the day at a forum at Union College.

Grace on the Hill United Methodist Church Minister Weyman McGuire preceded the political speeches with a prayer, and personal praise for McConnell.

"Thank you for your conservative values because that means so much to me and my family and my congregation," McGuire said. "I just want you to know that from the bottom of my heart."