If the production and airing of political advertisements is any indication, political pundits might say the sixth congressional district race has generated a lot of attention for August. Reports the central Kentucky contest between GOP incumbent Andy Barr and Democrat Amy McGrath is being viewed with a national lens.
It was just about a year ago that retired marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath announced she was running for congress. She won the primary race over a field that included favorite Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. McGrath offered little in the way of political attacks. Her campaign manager Mark Nicholas says the same tact is planned in this race against Republican Andy Barr. “This is a little brazen. We’re running a campaign that a lot of people don’t think you can do, which is to have millions of dollars on attacks on you and not respond in kind. Can you survive that? And, we’re going to find out,” said Nicholas.
Barr is seeking his fourth term in congress. He says political ads can work to draw distinctions between candidates. “Campaigns are about choices and it’s important that campaigns communicate the differences between the candidates, and in this case, there are vast differences in the ideas that we have,” noted Barr.
Election Day 2018 is still more than a dozen weeks away. Both campaigns say, with voter viewing habits today, television ads are just a part of the strategy in mounting a successful run for office.
