But the true test of Lundergan's political muscle came in 2011 when his daughter chose to wade into electoral politics for the first time with a challenge to a sitting secretary of state from her own party.

Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Walker, appointed by Governor Steve Beshear to fill the position after Republican Trey Grayson resigned, knew what she was up against when she was greeted by Grimes banners and signs in the farthest flung corners of the state.

"I think probably the biggest asset that she had is that tremendous grassroots support that her father built and she built upon," Walker recalled in an interview. "She had a very strong political background, had grown up in the political arena and was very knowledgable about the people involved."

Despite holding the office and being boosted by Beshear robocalls, Walker was outspent 3-to-1 and trounced on primary day by 10 points.

"When Jerry Lundergan sets his mind to a task, he is relentless," wrote Al Cross in The Louisville Courier-Journal at the time. "He and his daughter have run rings around Walker and Beshear, organizationally and financially."

(Beshear is on board this go-round, but clearly wounds are still raw from the feud: He told reporters he wasn't given a heads-up on Grimes' entry into the contest.)

In the general election, Grimes' campaign was largely based on a single issue: opposition to requiring a photo ID to vote. She also placed her two grandmothers in a highly effective television spot where they promoted her ideas to ease the business-licensing process. "What rhymes with Alison Lundergan Grimes?" asked one. "Oh, such a long name," quipped the other.

The result: She more than doubled her margin against Republican Bill Johnson -- thumping him by 22 points.

Johnson, who predicted afterward Grimes would run against McConnell, said he now thinks she can beat him.

"I think it's a very winnable race for her. I don't say this as a fan of hers, I'm just being honest," he said in an interview. "She's an aggressive campaigner, she's going to be smart on how she speaks on issues, she's going to try to have it both ways. And frankly there's no record to run against. I think it will be very difficult for McConnell to run a negative campaign against her on any kind of issues. It'll have to be personal. And it's very hard to run against a woman and be negative. Other women don't like that."

Still, under the harsh gleam of a nationally tracked Senate race, Grimes will be pelted with tough questions on immigration, energy policy, and taxes, and be forced to navigate thorny cultural minefields like abortion and gay marriage -- issues she was clearly not prepared to address during her shaky July 1 announcement.

"She's clearly untested," said Billy Piper, a former chief of staff to McConnell. "There's not a lot of there there."