Democrat Amy McGrath, a retired fighter pilot, on Tuesday announced she is running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky in 2020 against current Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

In her announcement video, Ms. McGrath said Mr. McConnell — elected “a lifetime ago” — has steadily turned Washington, D.C., into “something we despise.”

“I’m running for Senate because it shouldn’t be like this,” she said. “I learned as a daughter, a mom, a Marine and a fighter pilot that the mission can never be forgotten.”

Ms. McGrath, who lost in a close race to GOP Rep. Andy Barr last year, had been recruited to challenge Mr. McConnell by Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer.

Mr. McConnell’s campaign team responded to the news with a video of their own that splices past comments from Ms. McGrath, including clips of her praising single-payer health care and declaring that she is “further left” and “more progressive” than “anybody in the state of Kentucky.”

McConnell campaign manager Kevin Golden called Ms. McGrath an “extreme liberal” who is “far out of touch” with Kentuckians.

“Comparing President Trump’s election to 9/11, endorsing a government takeover of healthcare, and calling the wall ‘stupid’ is a heckuva platform that we will be delighted to discuss over the next sixteen months,” Mr. Golden said.

Democrats had been bullish on taking down Mr. McConnell in 2014, but in the end, the Kentucky Republican cruised to victory over Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.

The political environment will likely be less favorable next year for Republicans, but unseating Mr. McConnell in solidly red Kentucky will still be a heavy lift for Democrats, who have struggled to persuade other top-level recruits to jump into U.S. Senate contests next year.

Republicans currently hold an effective 53-47 majority in the Senate.

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