For all his flaws, Mitch McConnell has done exactly what you've listed for #1 in his Kentucky race, and has been very effective at it. He has actually crafted himself as the "refreshing candidate for change" against a 35 year-old woman by hammering on one key point:
"How can my opponent call herself a force for change in Washington when the first thing she'll do as a Senator is vote to re-elect Harry Reid as the Senate majority leader?"