Amy McGrath was one of the highest-profile Democratic House candidates of the 2018 election cycle, albeit an unsuccessful one. | Jason Davis/Getty Images congress Schumer recruits famed fighter pilot to challenge McConnell in 2020 The GOP leader is deep into preparations to take on Democrat Amy McGrath.

Chuck Schumer is actively recruiting a high-profile fighter pilot to take on Mitch McConnell in 2020 — a calculated act of aggression against a leading Republican foe.

Schumer met with Amy McGrath, a Marine veteran-turned 2018 congressional candidate, at Democratic Party headquarters last month to pitch her on running against McConnell. McGrath listened and didn’t rule it out. The Democratic leader first contacted McGrath in December.


McConnell, the longest-serving Senate GOP leader, is gearing up for a reelection fight and leaving little to chance. His political team has begun compiling opposition research on McGrath and delving into video tracking footage of her. On Wednesday, senior Republican Party officials involved with a pro-McConnell super PAC will meet in Washington to begin mapping out a potential campaign against McGrath.

The Republican leader has also tapped a 2020 campaign manager: Kevin Golden, a veteran party operative who worked on McConnell’s 2014 reelection bid and oversaw Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn’s successful 2018 Senate campaign.

Schumer’s offensive underscores the frayed relations between the two Senate leaders. In recent months, they have sparred bitterly on issues ranging from judicial nominees to the federal shutdown.

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While it’s not unprecedented for one Senate leader to try to unseat a counterpart, the recruitment mission is an unmistakable act of hostility that’s sure to ratchet up tensions.

Joining Schumer for the meeting with McGrath were Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, as well as top DSCC officials Scott Fairchild and Devan Barber. McGrath aides Mark Nickolas and Lori LaFave also attended.

Nickolas confirmed the meeting but said that no decision was imminent.

“The military officer in her always approaches these things pretty methodically and thoughtfully,” he said.

Spokespersons for Schumer and the DSCC declined to comment on the meeting.

McConnell’s team has been preparing for months. Last year, the campaign tapped its first two officials, Shane Noem and Jonathan Shell.

McConnell aides have also examined McGrath’s unsuccessful 2018 bid, when GOP Rep. Andy Barr cast her as too liberal for the central Kentucky district. Aides to the Republican leader view the contest as a template for how to defeat her in 2020.

McConnell, long known for his bare-knuckle political tactics and encyclopedic knowledge of Kentucky politics, monitored the race closely and offered Barr advice.

As part of their research into McGrath, which dates back to 2017, McConnell’s team has been scrutinizing her past statements and positions and looking into years of video footage of her.

The GOP leader is also activating the big donor network he’s cultivated over his three-decade-plus Senate career. And plans are being drawn up for the pro-McConnell group Kentuckians for Strong Leadership. On Wednesday, Steven Law, Carl Forti, and Scott Jennings, senior party strategists who’ve previously been involved with the super PAC, will hold an organizational meeting to discuss the path forward.

Aside from the super PAC, McConnell has accumulated over $4 million for his campaign bank account.

“The brilliance of McConnell’s campaigns are that they are comprised of a complex orchestra of political instruments brought together for a symphony of absolute destruction,” said Josh Holmes, a McConnell political adviser. “His opponents may hear a note or two before they decide to run but he saves the full composition to ensure it’s the last thing a candidate hears before they enter the political graveyard.”

McGrath was one of the highest-profile Democratic House candidates of the 2018 election cycle. Initially rejected by Washington Democrats in favor of the better-known mayor of Lexington, Jim Gray, McGrath catapulted to a primary victory on the strength of a viral biographical ad touting her career as a Marine and groundbreaking fighter pilot.

Ultimately, the 44-year-old first-time candidate was unable to parlay a multi-million-dollar war chest and national profile into victory in a heavily Republican district. She was narrowly defeated by Barr.

Those close to McGrath say that she’s remained undecided about the race since meeting with Schumer last month.

McGrath isn’t the only potential candidate McConnell is preparing for. His team has also been been assembling opposition research on Matt Jones, a liberal sports radio show host who’s long been entertaining a bid for the seat.

