(LEX 18) — Senator Mitch McConnell has won a seventh term in office.
The Associated Press says McConnell currently has 59% of the vote with more than 400,000 Kentuckians voting for the incumbent senator.
With this projection, McConnell is set to serve another six years in office.
The 78-year-old McConnell defeated Democrat Amy McGrath, a retired Marine combat pilot who challenged him as a political outsider. McConnell is the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history.
As President Donald Trump’s top ally on Capitol Hill, McConnell led efforts to defend the president during his impeachment acquittal in the Senate. He also worked with Trump on a tax overhaul and orchestrated Senate confirmation of more than 200 judicial appointments, including Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
McGrath also lost a race for a House seat in 2018.
Whether McConnell will continue to serve as the Senate Majority Leader remains unclear and depends on other statewide elections across the country.
Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Mac Brown issued the following statement following McConnell's victory.
“Tonight is a great night for Kentucky. From fighting for Kentucky jobs and businesses and remaking the federal judiciary, to enacting the largest rescue package in American history, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivers results for Kentuckians time and time again. We couldn’t be more proud to have helped him earn another term as a voice for our state in Washington.”
Amy McGrath, McConnell's Democratic challenger, issued the following concession on Twitter:
I’m so proud of what this grassroots campaign achieved. This race was never about me - or Mitch McConnell - it was about Kentuckians. The legacy of this campaign will be that we don’t have to accept politics as usual. I look forward to building a better future for Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/SHlweJof1I
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) November 4, 2020
