Charles Booker blasts national Democrats for 'meddling' in primary vs. Amy McGrath

Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker slammed a national Democratic Party group on Thursday for getting involved in the primary by endorsing front-runner Amy McGrath.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or DSCC, which supports Senate incumbents and candidates nationwide, announced it was backing McGrath as the best chance to defeat Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2020.

"Amy McGrath is a courageous leader who has spent her career taking risks and inspiring others to service," Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, of Nevada, said in a statement.

"In the Senate, she’ll be a champion for all Kentuckians, working to expand access to high-quality, affordable health care and education, and to invest in good paying jobs in communities across Kentucky.”

Booker, a state legislator from Louisville, has caught some attention for running a more left-leaning and grassroots campaign. He scorched the DSCC in a statement, saying the group is "meddling" in the contest before voters have a chance to asses the candidates.

“The Democratic Party shouldn’t be in the business of interfering in primaries before voters have had a chance to make their voices heard," Booker said. "But instead of waiting for Kentucky Democrats to choose, the DSCC is coming in from Washington, D.C., to put their thumb on the scale and try and tell us who to vote for."

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McGrath herself was critical of outside Democratic groups getting involved in Kentucky elections when she made a failed bid for Congress in 2018.

During that race for the 6th Congressional District seat, the retired Marine fighter pilot criticized the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for backing former Lexington Mayor Jim Gray to join the race.

"It’s part of the problem with our system," McGrath said at a 2018 Women in the World Salon in Washington, D.C.,

McGrath said at the event how both parties have establishment groups that supported "entrenched" candidates over more grassroots contenders.

"Voters are tired of the establishment sort of picking the winners and they want people from all walks of life, and they want people who speak truth with power, and they want people who are honest, and women, and I think we’re starting to figure it out in America here," she said at the time.

Booker said the DSCC is wrongheaded to think the best way to defeat McConnell in the fall is "by running to the soft center." He has taken more liberal stances than McGrath on a host of issues, including support for a single-payer health care system.

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McGrath released a new TV advertisement this week in which she made clear she opposed "Medicare for All" and free college. Instead, she said, Congress should make improvements to the Affordable Care Act and offer national service as a way to pay for higher education.

The debate in Kentucky's primary mirrors a larger one at the national level, as Democrats are divided over more incremental reforms versus those who want major changes.

McGrath is endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden to be the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee. Biden has said he prefers tweaking the Affordable Care Act over a single-payer system, which he says will be too costly.

Booker has yet to endorse a Democratic candidate for president, although he did give a shoutout to entrepreneur Andrew Yang when he dropped out of the race after the New Hampshire primary.

"Charles is assessing the field to determine who he thinks will best fight for Kentuckians," said Colin Lauderdale, who serves as the Booker campaign state director.

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McGrath is the presumed front-runner for the Democratic nomination with the backing of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, who recruited her to run. She also has a huge money lead, with more than $17 million raised since she entered the race.

Booker, however, slammed those who think a more moderate candidate can win in November. He said the only way to win in the Bluegrass State is to take the fight to McConnell.

"You don’t beat the most unpopular Senator in America by running away from him, or trying to be like him," Booker said in the statement. "You win by putting him on the defensive, holding him accountable, and making sure he has to answer for what he’s done to us. The sooner the DSCC understands that, the sooner we’ll finally retire Mitch McConnell once and for all.”

Retired Marine Mike Broihier, a Lincoln County farmer, is also running in the Democratic primary election.

Opinion: Who does Charles Booker think he is to mess with Mitch McConnell?

Reach Phillip M. Bailey at pbailey@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4475. Follow him on Twitter at @phillipmbailey.