Posted on 10/18/2013 10:15:04 AM PDT by cotton1706
Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) primary challenger got a boost Friday with the endorsement of a prominent national conservative group, the Senate Conservatives Fund.
The endorsement of Matt Bevin comes just days after the fund blasted McConnell for his role in working toward a deal to end the government shutdown, charging in an email to supporters Tuesday that he was "leading the surrender" of the GOP.
In the endorsement, Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) Executive Director Matt Hoskins conceded that Bevin has an uphill climb in unseating McConnell, but said the group is "confident" he can win.
"Matt Bevin is a true conservative who will fight to stop the massive spending, bailouts, and debt that are destroying our country. He is not afraid to stand up to the establishment and he will do what it takes to stop Obamacare," Hoskins said.
He added: "We know that winning this primary won't be easy. Mitch McConnell has the support of the entire Washington establishment and he will do anything to hold on to power. But if people in Kentucky and all across the country rise up and demand something better, we're confident Matt Bevin can win this race."
Bevin has significantly lagged McConnell in every poll of the race, and brought in only $222,000 in outside donations this past quarter, compared to $2.27 million for McConnell during the same period.
Bevin contributed $600,000 of his own money to his campaign.
McConnell has dismissed SCF in the past as a self-serving group out to make a profit, and his campaign continued that line of attack after it made its endorsement of Bevin.
"Matt Bevin now has the dubious honor of standing with a self-serving DC fundraising group that made its name by recruiting and promoting unelectable candidates that ensured Barack Obama a majority in the Senate," said Allison Moore, McConnell spokeswoman. "[SCF] clearly cares less about Kentuckians than they do about their reputation for supporting laughably bad candidates. Now they can add a New England bailout recipient who claims he went to MIT to their roster of notable failures."
But the SCF endorsement is likely to help his fundraising this next quarter and raise his profile both in Kentucky and nationwide.
The fund did not indicate the level of engagement it's planning for the campaign, but it spent nearly $16 million on races last cycle, and has previously backed insurgent candidates that are now heavy-hitters in Washington, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
McConnell has long faced the ire of conservatives, who are unhappy with his votes for the Wall Street bailout and to raise the debt ceiling, as well as what they believe is an insufficient effort to dismantle ObamaCare.
The shutdown put the senator in a tough spot over the past few weeks, as he risked playing into conservative attacks by taking a leadership role in brokering a deal to end the shutdown which conservatives felt should have been sustained until they successfully dismantled ObamaCare.
Ultimately, McConnell emerged as a crucial player in negotiations and has defended his role in brokering a deal.
This is the fourth time that Ive stepped up to prevent catastrophic occurrence in our country, McConnell told The Hill.
Just curious if you include Liz Cheney against Mike Enzi? I honestly do not know what is going on in this race....
This is the fourth time that Ive stepped up to prevent catastrophic occurrence in our country, McConnell told The Hill.
The only way McConnell can do that is to resign as Minority Leader in the Senate, declare he is not seeking reelection, and to campaign for Matt Bevins.
I am agnostic on that one. Neither candidate suits me personally nor do I think either would be a disaster so I'll let the good people of Wyoming sort it out.
This is the fourth time that Ive stepped up to prevent catastrophic occurrence in our country, McConnell told The Hill.”
Ooh! Ooh! Look at me!! Look at all I’ve done for the country!! Re-elect me!!
Nice try, Mitch, but by whipping votes against Cruz, you demonstrated whose side you’re on!
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