All the Latest on McConnell/Grimes from The RP’s KY Political Review

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A chock full of all of the latest news on the escalating battle between U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and his Democratic 2014 challenger, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes from The RP’s KY Political Review:

GRIMES LOADS – “Alison Lundergan Grimes Hires High-Profile Consultants,” National Journal: “Grimes has brought on veteran Democratic pollster Mark Mellman of the Mellman Group to run her polling operation, a spokesman tells the Hotline. Mark Putnam of the Putnam Group, who produced Grimes’ popular 2011 television ad featuring both of her grandmothers, will handle media. And Andrew Kennedy of Kennedy Communications will serve as a senior adviser. Longtime Kentucky consultant Jonathan Hurst will serve as a spokesman. Hurst has a long history with Grimes, having worked on her 2011 race for Secretary of State and with her father at the state Democratic Party. He was also the state director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008. The Clintons reportedly urged Grimes to get into the Senate race and Hurst said they will “absolutely” be involved in the campaign.” [National Journal]THE DICHOTOMY, “Alison Lundergan Grimes: The anti-Ashley Judd?” by MSNBC’s Perry Bacon, Jr.: “The easiest way to describe Alison Lundergan Grimes, the relatively unknown Kentucky secretary of state who announced this week she will take on Mitch McConnell in what could be next year’s marquee Senate campaign, is that she is the anti-Ashley Judd. … While Judd is an avowed liberal who speaks at Planned Parenthood events and has publicly praised “Obamacare,” it’s hard to find any public comment Grimes has made about the law or many other hot-button national issues. Roger Alford, The Associated Press’ correspondent in Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital, noted in a recent piece, “the public record shows little about Grimes’ positions on coal, guns, immigration, abortion, same-sex marriage and federal health care reforms.” Grimes’ most prominent move as secretary of state has been to make it easier for Kentuckians serving in the military abroad to register to vote. … In a state President Obama lost by 23 points in November, the most obvious route for Mitch McConnell to victory would be to link a Democratic candidate to the president. With Judd, that would have been extremely easy; with Grimes, it is much harder. As Alford notes, in an unauthorized recording by liberal activists of a meeting earlier this year between McConnell and his operatives, the Republican’s advisers lamented that Grimes endorsed Obama for president in 2012, but “was too smart to use his name.” Grimes instead said publicly that she supported “our party and our nominee.”” [MSNBC] SOUND BITE – “McConnell: Race vs Grimes about Issues, influence” by WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold: “In his first appearance back home since Alison Lundergan Grimes announced her bid to unseat him, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) painted the Democratic challenger as a “rookie” who would tow the line of national Democrats. “I think all of you know I love a good campaign,” McConnell told reporters after a groundbreaking for the final phase of the 21st Century Parks project. … “And I think we’ll have one that will provide plenty of opportunities for you all over the next year and a half.” Asked about polls that show him vulnerable in the 2014 race, McConnell predicted Grimes’ vulnerabilities will frame the campaign. … “There will be two issues in this race,” McConnell said.  “One of them is issues themselves.  My opponent, of course, will support the agenda of Barack Obama and Harry Reid.  She may try to claim otherwise during the campaign but we all know how that works. She’ll be on board with the effort to implement Obamacare and the War on Coal.”” [WHAS] —“John Yarmuth on 2014: Mitch McConnell ‘scared’,” POLITICO: “Sen. Mitch McConnell is “scared to death” of running against Alison Lundergan Grimes, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) said Thursday morning. … “They’re showing how much fear they have about this race because our airwaves are already crammed with negative ads about Allison,” Yarmuth said on MSNBC. “We know he’s scared to death.” … Yarmuth said recent polls have shown it’s going to be a tight race. “Even McConnell’s own pollster has the race within 5 points,” he said. “He knows he’s in for one heck of a fight.”” [POLITICO] WINNING THE WEB – McConnell’s campaign released late Wednesday its third video in two days. The Senator, in a voiceover, read a verse of “America, The Beautiful” in the 4th of July-themed video. [YouTube] DAYS UNTIL : Fancy Farm 2013: 29 … Next fundraising deadline: 87 … Primary Election filing deadline: 207 …  Fancy Farm 2014: 393 … Ky. 2014 Primary Election day: 319 … 2014 General Election day: 487 NOT NOW : “Democrat Tom FitzGerald decides not to run for U.S. Senate” by H-L’s Jack Brammer – “FitzGerald, in an email late Wednesday, said he has received hundreds of letters, emails and calls of support from across the state since it became public earlier this year that he was considering running for the seat now held by Republican Mitch McConnell of Louisville. He said the idea of leaving almost 30 years of environmental advocacy as director of the Kentucky Resources Council was “exciting and daunting, a little heady and very humbling,” but he realized that with the environmental problems facing Kentuckians “it is not time to step away from my current work.” FitzGerald is a lifelong Democrat who has never run for public office.” [H-L] PAUL’S PRESCRIPTION – “Rand Paul says Alison Lundergan Grimes should ‘disown the president’,” H-L: “U.S. Sen. Rand Paul suggested Wednesday that Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes should consider disowning President Barack Obama if she hopes to run a competitive race against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. … “I don’t know it will be as competitive as some think it will be,” Paul said Wednesday in a brief news conference after speaking to about 140 people at a Scott County Republican Party Independence Day Luncheon. … “The biggest thing and the hardest part for any Democrat to win in Kentucky for a federal office is that you pretty much have to disown the president,” Paul said.” [H-L] —JOHN Y. BROWN, III offered his political advice to McConnell & Grimes on July 4th: “To challenger and current Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes: … Alison, you should embrace that you are the endearing and energetic youthful candidate who is very bright and knowledgeable— but also unpredictable. It’s not your youth or political party or campaign style that distinguishes you most for Senator McConnell. It’s the fact that Sen McConnell is the most prepared, disciplined, and predictable politician on the political scene today. … “As for Senator McConnell, on the other hand, I would suggest running a disciplined tight ship and not taking a day or even several hours for granted. Be light and funny not exasperated and bored with your younger opponent. You must show respect and you must show manners reflective of the sexes in the South. … Be the well oiled, disciplined and well-managed machine you know best how to be—and chip away methodically and relentlessly. … “The race won’t be about “Hope” or “Staying the course” or a dozen other political clichés. It will likely instead be about something more basic: To stick with what we know (sticking with the status quo) or trying something new (“rolling the dice,” so to speak). And how fitting it is that the race takes place in a state with a deep gambling tradition but today is ambivalent about expanding gaming.” [The RP]