Former President Bill Clinton and other high-profiled Democrats endorsed U.S. Senate Candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes today, touting her efforts to rebuild the middle class.
Grimes is running against Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in a tight race that is gaining national media attention. In recent weeks, she has put issues such as raising the minimum wage and closing the gender pay gap at the center of her candidacy. Grimes and Clinton also discussed bringing bipartisan compromise to the Senate.
Clinton said Grimes is a contrast with McConnell because she believes in compromise over gridlock.
“…or we should stay with this model of constant conflict, which can generate unlimited amounts of special interest money to keep people stuck in their ideological ruts,” he said. “Nothing good will happen except the people who are on the receiving end of the benefits may win one more election. But real people don’t win that way.”
Clinton also endorsed the Grimes campaign jobs plan, especially getting military veterans back to work. Meanwhile, the McConnell campaign says Grimes hasn’t yet explained how much the jobs plan would cost or how she would pay for it.
Clinton said voters have a clear choice, adding McConnell and his allies are more interested in attacking Grimes than providing practical solutions.
“You will not get anywhere calling somebody a name,” the former president said. “You will get anywhere putting any of these people to work, training anybody, giving them access to broadband or capital or inducing people to invest in their neighborhoods by running an ad saying whatever the heck these crazy groups are going to say about Alison between now and Election Day. And I have to believe down deep inside the people of Kentucky know that stuff for what it is.”
The Grimes campaign raised more than $604,000 from donors who attended the Clinton luncheon. But Republican critics point out the former president has visited Kentucky in past races where Democrats have lost by large margins.
