McConnell Gets An Opponent
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell finally has a Democratic opponent, Politico's Josh Kraushaar reports. The incumbent Republican could face Iraq war vet Andrew Horne in November, if Horne makes it out of the Democratic primary.
Horne had been a favorite of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006, though he lost the primary for Kentucky's Third District by a wide margin. The Democrat who beat him, John Yarmuth, went on to defeat Republican Rep. Anne Northup in the general election.
Horne may not be alone in the Democratic primary, though. Businessmen Greg Fischer and Bruce Lunsford are considering Senate bids as well, while former Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo has formed an exploratory committee. Stumbo, though, is unlikely to make a bid, some Kentucky Democrats say. Horne may not be the strongest candidate: He ran well behind McConnell in a late October poll, while other potential candidates trailed by smaller margins.
Already, State Auditor Crit Luallen and Rep. Ben Chandler, two Democrats who could potentially give McConnell a real race, have said they will not run.
While some Democrats hope to do to McConnell what Republicans did to then-Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle in 2004, knocking off the Republican leader would be a challenge for any candidate. McConnell has stockpiled more than $6.8 million for his re-election bid already, and has already begun running advertisements on television.