Consider it a "take two": Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes Tuesday will officially kick off her U.S. Senate campaign in Lexington.
When Grimes first announced she was joining the race earlier this month, the event was widely described as disorganized and uninspired. The campaign's senior adviser in later days told reporters Grimes would soon have a second "official" announcement of her Senate campaign.
That's taking place Tuesday afternoon in Lexington. Gov. Steve Beshear will be joining Grimes. When Grimes first announced she was running for Senate, Beshear said she hadn't given him any heads up that she had made a decision.
With Beshear's appearance Tuesday, it appears the Grimes camp is hoping to display a unified Democratic front behind the Secretary of State. Last week, longtime U.S. Senator, former Governor, and Owensboro native Wendell Ford endorsed Grimes for Senate.
Grimes has accused U.S Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of being "out of touch" with Kentucky voters and values. And several polls show the Louisville Republican holding dangerously low favorability ratings with Kentucky voters.
One poll taken in April by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling group showed 36 percent of Kentucky voters saying they approved of his job performance. Fifty-four percent said they disapproved.
McConnell has said he is ready for "a fight" in order to win another Senate term.
"They want to take me out," McConnell told a group of supporters in Louisville earlier this year. "This is the only race in the country with any national significance. And that's why we're up and running this far in advance."
McConnell finds himself in the uncomfortable position of facing a GOP primary challenger. Louisville businessman and tea party activist Matt Bevinis challenging McConnell, charging that the Senate Minority Leader has betrayed conservatives with his votes in favor of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Wall Street bailout, and the Patriot Act.
