This is not the political theme you’re looking for. Pay no attention to those three tough primaries on the Democratic side, or Richard Blumenthal’s problems in Connecticut. The Democratic National Committee is spinning away from some of the big stories of the day, telling reporters the real national trend is what’s happening among Kentucky Republicans.
The DNC this afternoon will send out a memo titled “It’s On: Who Will Win the McConnell vs. DeMint Leadership Proxy Battle In Kentucky?” The Dems think that Rand Paul’s likely win in Kentucky will diminish Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) but also push the Republican party to the furthest-right fringes.
Kentucky Democrats, meanwhile, are slugging it out as well.
An excerpt from the memo:
While Republican voters in Kentucky are choosing their nominee for the US Senate today – as the stories below attest – the election is also where a proxy battle is being decided between Jim DeMint and Mitch McConnell for leadership of the Senate Republican caucus.
While also further marginalizing the GOP as a extreme right wing party, a loss by Trey Grayson to DeMint-backed and tea party favorite Rand Paul, would be a devastating blow to Mitch McConnell who helped drive a sitting Senator out of the seat, handpicked Grayson as his replacement and threw the weight of his political machine behind his candidacy.
A Grayson loss would be the second primary in a row, after Utah, where a McConnell-backed candidate lost to a DeMint-backed candidate. DeMint-backed Marco Rubio was also able to chase out a sitting Governor and NRSC-backed Charlie Crist in the Florida GOP Senate primary.
The person with the most on the line today is Mitch McConnell. Let there be no doubt – a Grayson loss would make Jim DeMint a leading rival to McConnell for the leadership of Senate Republicans – and will diminish McConnell’s standing both at home and in Washington.
