Kentucky Senate Election 2014: Immigration Reform, Amnesty Factors in Mitch McConnell, Alison Lundergan Grimes Campaign
Kentucky is not located along the southern U.S. border, but immigration is playing a factor in the state's senatorial elections.
Incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, has been in a close re-election race against the state's Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. Approximately two weeks after President Barack Obama announced his delay on immigration executive action, the pro-McConnell group Kentucky Opportunity Coalition released a 30-second video described as "Obama and Grimes. Two liberals for amnesty. Too liberal for us."
The attack ad against Grimes said she support's Obama's "amnesty plan," and showed her stating, "We need an immigration bill ... giving a pathway to citizenship for so many millions" as the narrator continues with another talking point.
"[Obama and Grimes'] plan is citizenship for millions who broke the law. Illegal immigrants would become eligible for taxpayer-funded benefits -- food stamps, unemployment, even Medicare," the Kentucky Opportunity Coalition narrator says.
According to Politico, Senate Minority Leader McConnell "has yet" to confront his Democratic challenger on immigration. At last month's Kentucky Farm Bureau forum, Grimes said McConnell "stood in the way" of comprehensive immigration reform and that his opposition has become a factor in the recent issues at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"He said 'no' to making sure we could have an earned pathway to citizenship -- which is what I believe in," Grimes said at the forum.
McConnell has said the better immigration approach is to handle the issue in segmented bills.
The immigration bill from the Senate, which passed in June 2013, provides no reference to amnesty for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, a co-sponsor of "S.744 - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act," acknowledged that "zero" people would receive amnesty. While the Senate bill did receive several "Yes" votes from Republicans, McConnell voted no.
"Mitch McConnell voted against immigration reform that would have helped Kentucky farmers and secured our border by putting thousands more agents on the border," said Grimes spokeswoman Charly Norton, via Politico. "Alison opposes President Obama in any attempt to alter our immigration system by executive order and believes Congress needs to do its job and pass comprehensive immigration reform."
Grimes has been on the campaign trail distancing herself from Obama. A new campaign advertisement titled "Skeet Shooting" shows the Senate candidate telling viewers that McConnell wants voters to think she's Obama.
"Mitch McConnell wants you to think I'm Barack Obama," said Grimes, later adding, "I'm not Barack Obama. I disagree with him on guns, coal and the EPA."
According to NBC News and Marist's polling data, McConnell leads against Grimes among both likely voters and registered voters. Among likely voters, McConnell received 47 percent to Grimes' 39 percent. Among registered voters, McConnell garnered 45 percent to Grimes' 38 percent.
As Latin Post reported, a CBS News and New York Times survey of registered voters revealed 39 percent were less likely to support a congressional candidate who favored a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, while 30 percent would support the candidate. Path to citizenship made no difference for 26 percent of registered voters polled.