Tipsheet

This Marine Running for Congress Has One Heck of a Campaign Ad

Amy McGrath probably won't represent Kentucky's 6th District in Congress come 2019, but man, this is an utterly fantastic campaign ad. McGrath, a retired Marine who was the first woman Marine to fly an F-18 in combat, is running against Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), a three-term Congressman. In her latest campaign ad, McGrath highlights her military experience, her family's Kentucky heritage, and her determination to succeed even when she was told "no." 

Honestly, bravo. This is an amazing campaign ad that will probably resonate very well with the people of McGrath's district. Unfortunately for McGrath, those people seem to be overwhelmingly Republican and the district is about as safe as a GOP district as one can get. Although Barr's initial election in 2012 was a relatively close one (winning only by five percentage points), he was reelected in 2014 and 2016 by 20 points and 23 points, respectively. That's not a close election by any stretch of the imagination. 

Regardless, McGrath's story is certainly inspiring and this is an excellent way to get her name out there--and it's proof that the Democrats are hard at work recruiting quality candidates to flip Congressional districts and that they are giving them the tools they need to succeed. This is something that the GOP must be wary of in coming months--while it's certainly nice to have control of both houses of Congress and the presidency, there's no guarantee that these majorities are going to stick around. The Democrats are in for a fight, and the Republicans need to be ready.