Republican operatives immediately pounced, clipping and blasting out a video of the interview exchange within moments of it happening, and sparking a discussion on Twitter among political flacks and journalists. The McConnell campaign also circulated video, calling it a "stumbl[e]" and a "gaffe."

In Kentucky, the awkward moment made headlines and grabbed front-page coverage from both the Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald Leader. While Grimes said she was a delegate for Hillary Clinton in 2008, the Courier-Journal noted that she was a delegate for Obama in 2012.

Grimes took hits Friday morning on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Said Chuck Todd, the host of NBC's flagship political talk show Meet The Press: "Can Kentuckians expect her to cast a tough vote on anything? Is she ever going to answer a tough question on anything? You want to be a U.S. senator? ... You can disagree with [Obama] but can't answer that basic question and come across looking that ridiculous? I think she disqualified herself. I really do. I think she disqualified herself."

A Grimes campaign spokesperson didn't immediately return a request to respond to the pushback.

Grimes' hesitation with the question is an outgrowth of her ongoing attempts to distance herself from Obama, who is very unpopular in Kentucky — 29 percent of registered voters view him favorably, while 55 percent view him unfavorably, according to this week's Bluegrass Poll. McConnell has made it a centerpiece of his campaign to link Grimes with the president.

"President Obama has rarely been to this state so he's a caricature here," said Jonathan Miller, a Democrat and former Kentucky State Treasurer from 1999-2007 who is now supporting Grimes. "He's either a dirty word here or among liberal Democrats he's very popular."

Below is the original exchange between Grimes and the Courier-Journal editorial board.