Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) thinks she can beat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in next year's Senate race.
The Kentucky secretary of state released a memo to The Huffington Post Wednesday outlining how her campaign could prevail in the 2014 election, citing polling results, the lack of a significant primary challenge on the Democratic side and the minority leader's high negative ratings. McConnell faces a Republican primary foe in tea party-aligned businessman Matt Bevin, who has been endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund. That group has already launched a six-figure ad buy against McConnell.
"As the most unpopular Senator in the country, McConnell’s costly primary battle and skyrocketing in-state disapproval rating greatly weaken his chances in this race," wrote Grimes adviser Jonathan Hurst. "Kentucky's political landscape and Alison's strong candidacy, overwhelming support and lack of a major primary challenger all position her to win next November."
The polling shows a close race. The Huffington Post Pollster average gives Grimes a two-point edge over McConnell, 45 percent to 43 percent. However, much of the polling thus far has been conducted by Democratic-leaning firms. The Cook Political Report rates the contest as a "toss-up."
Grimes beat McConnell in her first quarter of fundraising as a candidate, although McConnell has a far larger war chest, with $10 million in cash on hand.
Read the full memo here.
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