i am so delighted with alison grimes. i think that she is going to be an excellent candidate representing the innovative, inclusive agenda to move us forward. we are, as she stated, a united states, not a red or blue state, as the president stated. she is not going to be running as president obama on the ticket . mitch mcconnell represents the old and the past, and it was evident from just the contrast of the speeches. and also here in florida we, too , are going to move to a florida blue leadership. the country has already decided on the president. they have elected him twice. so this notion that we are going to somehow -- the people are somehow living in a fog and are unaware what their issues are, there needs of a life that's a private -- provides health security, social security and retirement security along with a valid future for their children to look and live for is what we have always had in this country. we are a forward country. >> host: thank you very much for the call. sean sullivan of the "washington post" h

alison lundegran grimes. >> alison lundegran grimes told her supporters the race is not about president obama but her in kentucky. >> mitch mcconnell would have you believe that president obama is on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. we all know that senator mcconnell has been in washington a little bit too long. [ cheers and applause ] so out of touch he can't tell the difference between a duke jersey and university of kentucky. let me set the record straight tonight for our senior senator who is out of touch with the commonwealth of kentucky. president obama is not on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. nothing about this election will change who is in the white house but we can change who is in washington, d.c. and finally put someone in the commonwealth of kentucky. [ applause ] senator mcconnell, this race is between you and me. that's the name that appears on the ballot. and as you said -- as you said so many years ago -- it is my number one priority to make sure mitch mcconnell doesn't see another term. >> now, mitch mcconnell, he wants to tell you who i am and he said, he claims tha

alison grimes wanted to make it about kentucky. mcconnell wanted to make it about hollywood. >> my opponent is in the race because barack obama and harry reid want her to be in the race. there is a reason, my friends, a reason, every hollywood liberal is sending her a check. there isn't a dime's worth of difference, not a dime's worth of difference between a candidate who puts harry reid in charge and harry reid himself. >> let me set the record straight tonight for our senior senator out of touch with kentucky, president obama is not on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. nothing about this election will change who is in the white house, but we can change who is in washington, d.c. >> see about that one. the georgia primary, no candidate on the republican side came near to 50% in that seven candidate primary field. which include three sitting u.s. congressmen. right now looks like, kingston will face david perdue in the run-off. in georgia, michelle nunn, daughter of sam nunn, won. and tom cotton will take on mark prioror. businessma

he was referring to pryor, landrieu, but also nunn. >> alison grimes. >> alison grimes. it is interesting. in the red states, the local political brand democrats hope is going to trump the national -- >> just imagine if you didn't have retirements in west virginia and iowa, we wouldn't be talking about those races too. >> and montana too. >> montana, thank you. just imagine had landrieu and bagich decided to retire -- >> then they'd be at four. they'd only need two. >> and so that's the question. how do you -- we talk about this every midterm election. how can you localize a race when the national wins are blowing so against you. and one way to do it is, okay, you know me, you know my family, you know i'm not part of this national crowd back here, but it's still hard to do when you have -- it's almost like day after day after day something else battling. >> kay hagan, freshman senator, in a little better state than many of these people. >> oregon, do you buy that it's a competitive state in the fall between health care exchange? does monica webbe have too much of this pe

let's start with you, robert, and how will alison grimes combat that, and the strategy is to hold her down with harry reid and obama. >> well, the mcconnell strategy to try to make it a referendum about president obama and harry reid, but one person who is a lack of approval and the low approval rating is comparable to president obama is mitch mcconnell, and so for alison grimes to make the case of keeping the focus on mitch mcconnell and make it a referendum on the strategy is going to play well, primarily because the voters in kentucky can impact who the senator is and what they can't do is to change the white house, and one fact that is worth noting and not getting a lot of media attention is that in the primary turnout, there were 50,000 more votes coming out for the uncontested democratic primary than the mcconnell and bevin primary, and so there was more enthusiasm amongst democrats than republicans. >> and now, let's bring you in, chris. we were able to sneak up on the people in the past, and there is no sneaking up on the people anymore and if there is an incoumbent in a benig

senate, and alison grimes has been unapologetic going after the theme, perry. let me play you clip. >> i am a kentucky woman and who i have been referred to as a an anti-dress who seeks to retire mcconnell. >> in going after the voters, she is talk about the mcconnell's violence against women act, and the patient's act, and abortion acts, and how do you see this playing out for the women voters? >> well, the core challenge is emphasizing a woman and young makes her different than mcconnell and a lot of the polling are saying that people are here weary of him because he has been in washington for a long time, and the big challenge for her, and she used the word in that event i'm an independent candidate, and she is going to try to make her running mate barack obama, and no matter what the issues are, how she takes position similar to barack obama, and voters here do not consider her part of the same party as the president. that is her challenge. >> thank you, both. i want to bring in democrat congressman from kentucky this morn morning. >> thank you, chris. >> a

alison lundergan grimes represents a vivid contrast to him and the most important thing about alison as a candidate is she is tough. she will not be bullied by mitch mcconnell which has been his m.o. for his entire career. it's going to be a very fascinating campaign. i look forward to the debate. she will destroy him because he cannot defend his record. >> kinect, the name for obama care in the name of kentucky which is popular there will be on the ballot in a way. john yarmouth, thank you for joining me tonight. >> thanks. >> the tea party has come a long way in the past five years. >> that big a difference between what you call the tea party and your average conservative republican. >> the definition for tea party candidate has it all wrong next. avo: waves don't care what age you are. take them on the way you always have. live healthy and take one a day men's 50+. a complete multivitamin with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. age? who cares. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to

there is a path forward for alison lundegran grimes. unlike say, a state like texas where wendy davis is running. or does not have a primary night. doesn't hatch any state wide elected democrats. a lot of states, kentucky has a quite popular elected statewide democrat in the governor, bashir, and that could prove a road map for how alison lundegran grimes will take the race. >> we have done the not quite back of the envelope. did actual printouts with the computer. not quite back of the envelope. a few maps. bashir victory match in '07. knocked out ernie fletcher and won the governorship. obviously very blue. he won, in a -- you know an across the board victory. >> i do this. take this one. layer over the rand paul map. this was his victory map. in 2010. and here's what was interesting. we came up, there are four, four largest counties that both steve bashir, democrat carried in '07. rand paul the republican carried in 10. are right here. two of them are in the cincinnati suburbs. one here on the border uh indiana, evansville. owensboro

in kentucky, it's alison lundergran grimes and in arkansas, mark pryor. and joining me, two people who have been in the firing line. i was just talking to you guys off camera. you both have been through competitive primaries and competitive generals, highs and lows so i think you have the thick skin to prove it. >> yes. >> primaries as a challenger when you won your primary in the house gave you a ton of momentum. as an incumbent when you won your primary, it was tough on the general. so talk about that as far as mitch mcconnell's thinking this morning. is he more vulnerable or less? >> i think in the house and senate i had a four-way primary and then a runoff. when you had multiple election, it's all about obviously raising money and everything that's being thrown at you. i think that really does create some challenges for you. i mean, you got to be able to beat the other guy in your own house, your own party. and i think mitch has had a tough time at it. they're going to obviously have to throw some money in there. but he still is, you know, he's an inc

it's hard to knock down alison grimes. knocking down barack obama, job is mostly done for him. >> all right. thank you for your insight this morning. i really appreciate it. >>> still to come in the "newsroom," another day and another recall for general motors. this time two chevrolets made overseas. >> reporter: the recall tally is growing for general motors and growing quickly. one of the world's biggest automakers reporting another safety issue. what you need to know coming up. how much protein does your dog food have? 18 percent? 20? purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one true instinct. learn more at purinaone.com so when my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis them. was also on display, i'd had it. i finally had a serious talk with my dermatologist. this time, he prescribed humira-adalimumab. humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. in clinical trials, most adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis saw 75% skin

alison grimes is trying to define herself to counter that. we'll play both of them for you and talk about it on the other side. >> liberals coast to coast are rolling out the red carpet for alison grimes. she's backed by obama's biggest fundraisers and hollywood's most liberal political activists. >> hi. i'm alison grimes. i want to take a moment to talk to you about why i'm running for senate. this is a frustrating time in our country. the economy is still struggling. people are working harder for less. and here in kentucky, we feel it more than most. it seems no matter how many elections we have, nothing gets better in washington. it only gets worse. >> reporter: she also goes on in this long ad to say that she is her own person. she is not president obama's rubber stamp. that's something she's going to have to say over and over again because that is one of the many major themes of this incredibly important race that mitch mcconnell is making her a puppet as you saw in that not so subtle ad. she's trying to say she's not. she's independent.

mitch mcconnell has a serious contender as he faces off against alison lundergan grimes. what is at stake here for him and for republicans in the senate? >> well, you know, let's look at it at two different ways through two different windows. one is the general election, alison lundergan grimes is going to be getting a lot of outside money. we have already seen a lot of outside money flow into this campaign on her behalf. we've seen the same thing for mitch mcconnell. you're also going to see the bill clinton factor. will we see bill clinton spending a lot of time down in kentucky, trying to help get her elected. in some ways this could be a proxy fight for 2016. how effective will bill clinton be for alison lundergan grimes and other democrats in this race? at the same time, look at rand paul. i've got to tell you, two weeks ago i was with rand paul in memphis. he was addressing the republican national committee, establishment republicans. he delivered a message of unity, but he delivered a message to them. he spent a lot of time after his speech shaking hands and what h

there is a path forward for alison lundegran grimes. unlike say, a state like texas where wendy davis is running. or does not have a primary night. doesn't hatch any state wide elected democrats. a lot of states, kentucky has a quite popular elected statewide democrat in the governor, bashir, and that could prove a road map for how alison lundegran grimes will take the race. >> we have done the not quite back of the envelope. did actual printouts with the computer. not quite back of the envelope. a few maps. bashir victory match in '07. knocked out ernie fletcher and won the governorship. obviously very blue. he won, in a -- you know an across the board victory. >> i do this. take this one. layer over the rand paul map. this was his victory map. in 2010. and here's what was interesting. we came up, there are four, four largest counties that both steve bashir, democrat carried in '07. rand paul the republican carried in 10. are right here. two of them are in the cincinnati suburbs. one here on the border uh indiana, evansville. owens bur

he's already campaigning against the democratic candidate alison grimes. she's backed by the clintons. could she turn kentucky blue? >> well, look, i think mitch mcconnell, i don't know that he's the perfect example of the establishment moving to embrace the principles of the tea party. while maria and i might agree that is what's happened nationwide, we clearly disagree whether or not that's a good or help or hurt republicans come november. mcconnell constantly underestimated. underestimated by matt bevin, within the chambers of the senate. he works behind the scene, owns the republican party of kentucky. he has i.o.u.s across the state because he helped build that republican party. when it comes to november, better not underestimate him either. >> that's certainly -- that's certainly something she's not going to do. i think will's right. no underestimating with mcconnell. the fact of the matter, today, mitch mcconnell is less popular in his own state than president obama, and he's less popular than obamacare. for god's sake, that is a very good starting

charlie crist, alison grimes, michelle nunn, they're at the top of list of democrats that say, does the white house listen to that or does it say, as it often says, you call to the white house and they say you don't get this, the media is hyperventilating. democrats in congress, they're panicking. >> no. the answer is absolutely not. i spent last week in kentucky covering mitch mcconnell's race. this story penetrates everywhere. the va is a sprawling bureaucracy. it's not just hospitals. it's outpatient facilities, retirement homes. there are families involved. it's not just debts. there are many things in health care surgery ts, whatever, routine health care things. this affects everybody. it penetrates everywhere in this country. do a google news search for va hospitals now. you see stories in miami, portland, texas. this is everywhere. >> it will affect the president in the sense he's been trying to get his approval rating up. democrats are desperate for him to get his approval rating up. now he's at 43%. think if you walked into a hospital room and saw that on your chart. that's tro

i want to play the clip from alison lundergan grimes in part because it seems like she knows, in some polls, a double-digit lead over mitch mcconnell against women voters. she seems to be trying to press her advantage there. do we know how that will play out in terms of the positions, the way they campaign and how much mcconnell may try to turn that around. his deficit with women voters could be fatal. >> that's right. women make up 53% of the electorate here. i thought it was interesting what you heard from the two speeches tonight. you can play the clips on a loop the next five months and throw in 75 million dollars or so and get the same result. i think what you heard from alison lundergan grimes over and over again is the same thing you heard since she got in the race, i'm a strong kentucky woman. what you heard from mitch mcconnell say, i know a lot of strong kentucky women, he talked about his wife and mother. three examples of people adversary affected by obamacare. all of them women. he recognizes it as a weakness and something he is trying to shore up. alison lundergan grimes

alison grimes in kentucky couldn't say whether she thought obamacare should be delayed or not. isn't that your real problem, that there is a confusing mixed message from democrats on whether obamacare is a net positive or a net negative? >> no, i don't think that's the problem. i think the problem for republicans and the problem for the tea party is that obamacare has worked. the problem for them is eight million people signed up. >> we're not confused about obamacare. >> the problem for them is they're not going to be able to do as mcintyre said this full repeal is going to overshoot the runway. this benghazi investigation is going to overshoot the runway. >> that's not what i asked, though. isn't this going to be a problem when your candidates don't know how to talk about obamacare and it's only may of 2014? >> i would say this, s.e. it's only may of 2014. >> oh, so they're going get better at it. okay. >> six months. every day the experience with obamacare is improving. the statistics are improving. >> but they seemed really convincing. >> they're getting worse. more people

it's going to be an uphill battle for alison grimes. but the fact that she's still in it, it looks like he will dispatch with matt bevin who was going to be the tea party challenger who would give him a lot of headaches and it hasn't been much more than a toothache. >> or just the need to floss. >> right. this race reminds me a lot of harry reid's race in 2010 and regarded him of going washington and being out of touch with him. reid doesn't pull any punches and so i don't think we're going to know the shape of this race until mcconnell starts to engage grimes more carefully until after he's done with the challenge on the right. >> i heard an amazing static. it's something along the lines of mitch mcconnell, who has won all of these elections, of the six that he's run against, only one has ever run for office against statewide in kentucky because he is so tough. he destroys them. >> if you look at some of the ads in the race, it's got some of the most, you know, vicious, frankly, hilarious ads that are out there this cycle and it's a re

alison lundergan grimes comes from a storied political kentucky family. she's also secretary of state, so she's not an outsider, she's not a usurper para chuting into kentucky. >> who's he talking to? older republicans willing to believe, joy, that this woman can't possibly be on her own two feet, just like anita hill, got to have people behind her, men behind her, that have moved her into this slot as a puppet. that's what they have to believe, like they talk about abortion rights, the same way, if she can't make a decision, she's not old enough, she's not smart enough. she's a woman. your thoughts. >> and she's a self made kentucky politician. this is somebody, as you said, who's gotten herself elected to statewide office. if she's tied to any president, it is bill clinton. that is the person who was really more for her, if you want to say, than he would have been for, you know, the celebrity for ashley judd. >> is he going to double down, is bill clinton going to double down on this race? >> of course. they can have him come in and campaign, but she do

alison grimes is barack obama's candidate. they know it. >> alison grimes was quick to fire back. she told reporters last night she's an independent thinker, and she says the race is not about the president. >> president obama is not on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. nothing about this election will change who is in the white house, but we can change who is in washington, d.c. and finally put someone for the commonwealth of kentucky. >> in other races, establishment candidates also defeated tea partybacked challengers in idaho and in georgia. you can call it the establishment strikes back. but what do the primary results mean for the upcoming midterm elections in november? our chief political analyst gloria borger is here to discuss what knomeans. what does it mean? >> first of all, what it means is in a primary in which you're looking for your base voters, which enmoos usually in the republican party your more conservative voters. it was easy for the establishment in a way, they were smart about this, to co-opt a lot of the tea party issues, adopt them. the key one, repealing o

mcconnell will face the democratic secretary of state, alison lungergan grimes. she's backed by many prominent democrats. mcconnell and grimes are trading serious bars. >> my opponent is in this race because barack obama and harry reid want her to be in this race. there's a reason, my friends, a reason every hollywood liberal is sending her a check. >> together, we will take this fight to mitch mcconnell and hold him accountable for his 30 years of failed leadership. >> a defeat for the tea party also in idaho. considered by many to be the centerpiece of this year's fight for control of the gop. cnn projects republican congressman mike simpson won his primary there turning aside the tea party backed lawyer, bryan smith. also governor butch otter appeared to be victorious in his fight to run for another term. results show him leading by a significant margin against russ fulcher who campaigned as a more conservative candidate. >>> a run off will determine who will run for saxby chambliss' seat. david purdue and kingston topped the list. the eventual victor will fac

. >> alison grimes is barack obama's candidate. >> as kentucky's next united states senator, i'll answer to the people of this state. i will speak for myself, and no kentucky woman, mitch mcconnell, will sit on the back bench. >> now for the bombshell lawsuit against the nfl. >> the lawsuit claims doctors gave players painkillers to hide serious injuries and keep them on the field. >> the fbi is considering the relaxing the policy on marijuana smokers. >> one of our challenges we face is getting a good work force, at the same time when young people's attitudes about marijuana are leading more and more of them to try it. >>> they serve our country, but are we serving them in their hour of need? after weeks of controversy about alleged deaths linked to delayed care at the va facilities, president obama is finally speaking out. >> if these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable. it is disgraceful. and i will not tolerate it, period. >> pretty strong words. will they be enough to quell what has welcobecome a growing of outrage. president obama's decision to stand by eric shinseki,

i want to play the clip from alison lundergan grimes in part because it seems like she knows, in some polls, a double-digit lead over mitch mcconnell against women voters. she seems to be trying to press her advantage there. do we know how that will play out in terms of the positions, the way they campaign and how much mcconnell may try to turn that around. his deficit with women voters could be fatal. >> that's right. women make up 53% of the electorate here. i thought it was interesting what you heard from the two speeches tonight. you can play the clips on a loop the next five months and throw in 75 million dollars or so and get the same result. i think what you heard from alison lundergan grimes over and over again is the same thing you heard since she got in the race, i'm a strong kentucky woman. what you heard from mitch mcconnell say, i know a lot of strong kentucky women, he talked about his wife and mother. three examples of people adversary affected by obamacare. all of them women. he recognizes it as a weakness and something he is trying to shore up. alison lundergan grimes

lundergan grimes. she was campaigning calling herself a kentucky woman, and she is also clearly making a play for the votes of women. she identified herself strongly as a woman played directly to the women in the rule, and identified herself as a pro labor candidate. the polls are showing that they are close in a potential general election matchup, but again, mcconnell has not turned the full fire on alison grimes, because he has been worried about making sure that bevin is as far back in the polls as possible. so we are looking to see what is going to happen tonight, and we are e expecting bevin to lose big, but if that does not happen, it would be a surprise. >> and we mentioned that in georgia there are seven candidates in the race for the gop nomination, and benbenji, is one of the to be continued races if a kacandidate does not a majority of the vote. >> that is right, there is a a runoff system in georgia, and they may still have to face each other again in a july vote. right now, there is a mode

today breaking from the ap she was asked twice, alison lundegran grimes, asked twice whether she would have voted for the 2010 law. obviously a major issue. she wouldn't really answer. she says, look, i well, when we are in the u.s. senate, will work to fix the aca. >> look, this is in keeping with something she has been doing from the beginning. some one pointed out to me -- a reporter, if you ever noticed. she has never. can't find any tape of her, talking about how she supports barack obama. i support the democratic nominee. she is not going to -- to -- have herself be wedded to, attached to, in any way, to, to the president, to obamacare, to, any of the horrors of the affordable care act. she is going to have to, get a cleaner answer to, to the question. but it is clear, kentucky, has this weird place in that it, obama care is unpopular. in terms of obama care. the way it is working in kentucky is extremely successful. >> certainly, politically why can't she just say, i wouldn't have voted for it as written. why doesn't she have an answer. you look weak when you are doubling up the

the key thing here and alison grimes has been running a very good campaign, especially since she's virtually tied with minority leader mcconnell. it's going to come down to turnout. one of the interesting things in the poll, the poll where it shows they are tied is of registered voters. what i'll be curious to see as time goes on is to see the poll of likely voters and that's when we'll see just how strong alison grimes is up against senator mcconnell. she's been statistically tied or a little bit ahead of him for months now. i would think that once we start looking at likely voters that she's doing very, very well. >> if i can quickly, i want your sense of what the takeaway is in terms of president obama, the affordable care act more popular than before. what's his standing? >> when you look at these three states, these aren't states he might go in although i might argue he may pop up in a place like georgia, specific areas if they are trying to change the nature of the elect tore rat. he's got a horrible approval rating in both kentucky and arkansas, deep red states or deep anti-obama stat

and alison grimes tied in most polls here. and she could be the first woman senator from ken you mentioned oregon. i want to skip ahead to the endangered democratic incumbents. in this case we're talking about women. north carolina, louisiana and new hampshire. >> that say big reason why democrats are so needing to push a lot of the issues related to women in particular because they have im-- women are really ree-- key here whether it is michelle nunn or alison grimes trying to win to take over a republican seat n new hampshire jean shaheen against scott brown. in north carolina with senator kay hagan against tom tillist, the republican in that race. and in of course in louisiana mary landrieu who has got great political dynasty of the landrieus in that state shows really how much women are so important to democrats in these races. >> ifill: of course we are getting ahead because these aren't all being voted on tomorrow but it still tells us what the senate could look like. for instance, it would take all of these women to win

he'll now face alison lundergan grimes who will also run easily in her primary contest. it promises to be a tough and expensive race. one democrat sees that as an opportunity to knock off an incumbent republican. there are two candidates in the general election, grimes and mcconnell, but last night, a third name was given a lot of attention. >>> my opponents is in this race because barack obama and harry reid want her to be in race. a vote for my opponent is a vote for obamacare. and the president who sold it to us on a mountain of lies. barack obama's candidates preach candidates but they practice loyalty above all else. tonight, i'm confident of this, kentuckians are not going to be deceived. alison lundergan grimes is barack obama's candidate. >> mitch mcconnell would have you believe that president obama is on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. president obama is not on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. nothing about this election will change who is in the white house, but we can change who is in washington, d.c. and finally put someone to the commonwealth of kentucky.

our own poll showed that alison grimes was getting about 25% of the matt bevin vote. that is a formula how she could end up winning a general election. of course if mitch mcconnell wins tomorrow, he'll have the next 5 1/2 months being able to make the case that she's a democrat in this race where democrats often haven't fared well in federal elections. >> let's move on to georgia. a crowded race. >> and the most competitive. all the polls have been pretty consistent. narrow frontrunner is david perdue. then followed by either congressman crack kingston or karen handel. as you mentioned, you would have a runoff if no one gets 50%. so it's important who ends up finishing second because then you will he said up having a top two contest. >> in idaho, again, another example of where the gop establishment facing off with the tea party. and the ramifications of that race. >> it's possible the tea party goes 0 for 3 in tomorrow's contest if mike simpson holds on pull all indications are he's probably the favorite. tea party did have a victory in the nebraska senate contest. b

alison lundergan grimes. and with me to discuss the bluegrass state is kasie hunt. he's in louisville. let's start with turnout. how is turnout looking so far down there today? >> hey, joy. we're still starting to get a sense of how that's turning out. obviously people tend to come to the polls late in the day. this looks strong for mcconnell. he has already turned to fighting the general election campaign against alison grimes. on the other hand, matt bevin's not wrong that there's a level of mcconnell fatigue. he's deeply unpopular here. i think the question going into this general election is going to be are people more tired of senator mcconnell or more tired of president obama. that's really the fight we're going to see being played out here. >> it's interesting because there's a piece in the national journal that talks about the party in kentucky no longer really being the mcconnell party. how it's moving more towards rand paul. mcconnell really relying in a lot of ways on rand paul to shore up his party and inoculate him. to what extent do you think the peopl

he faces a tough fight against alison lunder gan grimes. mcconnell said he will make it a central part of his campaign. >> my opponent is in this race because barack obama and harry reid want her in this race. there's a reason, friends. a reason. every hollywood liberal is sending her a check. >> together, we will take this fight to mitch mcconnell and hold him accountable for his 30 years of failed leadership. >> in idaho, cnn projects republican congressman mike simpson won his primary, one of many establish candidates to turn aside tea party backed candidates there. the chair faced a tough battle against brian smith. it was a test between conservative groups. as for the governor's race there, he's on track to beat russ who ran as a more conservative candidate. >> the election in oregon is merkley against monica wehby. she talked the more conservative candidate in the race. >>> two establish candidates holding off the conservative backed secretary of state in that state. cnn projects david purdue and kingston were the top two in the race

i don't think you will hear him accuse alison lundegran grimes, the focal point of his strategy, two fold. one, kentucky, another chance against barack obama. and two, he has got the seniority, on the cusp of becoming senate majority leader. i think they believe that the best way to sort of, smoke out alison lundegran grimes for being an inexperienced candidate who may not have a firm grasp of the issues on the debate stage. i think they recognize that there is a risk in using advertising to, to try to define her harshly that there may be some blow back especially among women voters. i think the debate stage is a safe place to do that. they may want to ask if they -- >> exactly. >> yeah, i mean, rick lazio took in your face too seriously for people who remember that. sam, you mention women voters. she is a ware of this punch coming in. she had a counter punch ready in the speech last night about being cast cast as a woman on the back bench. take a listen. >> now, mitch mcconnell he wants to tell you who i am. he has said he claims that kentucky will be lost if we trade in his feet fo

. >> woodruff: mcconnell will face democrat alison lundergan grimes in november, in what may be one of the most expensive, and contentious, races this year, as republicans seek to win back the senate. >> there's a reason, my friends, a reason every hollywood liberal is sending her a check. it's not because they care about kentucky. i assure you that. it's because they know as we do that there isn't a dime's worth of difference between a candidate who puts harry reid in charge, and harry reid himself. >> woodruff: grimes, meanwhile, released a television ad today insisting she would be an independent voice in washington. >> i'm running because i believe we need a senator who puts partisanship aside and works with both democrats and republicans to do what's right for kentucky, and our country. and no matter who the president is, i won't answer to them. i'll only answer to you. >> woodruff: the republican brass also got its preferred senate candidate in oregon, where pediatric neurosurgeon monica wehby, who is pro- abortion rights, defeated a more conservative opponent. they hope she can

faces off against a democrat in that state, alison grimes. listen to mitch mcconnell last night and then alison grimes. mcconnell says alison grimes equals barack obama. >> you're not going to be deceived. alison lundergan grimes is barack obama's candidate. >> she comes out though at her acceptance speech and says, i'm sorry, she calls mitch mcconnell senator gridlock and she says, don't try that. >> i'm here to tell you tonight, my fellow kentuckians, i am not an empty dress, i am not a rubber-stamp, and i am not a cheerleader. i'm a strong kentucky woman who is an independent thinker. >> dan, mcconnell crushed he said he was going to crush the tea party everywhere and he did it back home. what was striking to me last night was how quickly all of these conservative groups that yesterday morning were saying mcconnell must be beat. he's part of the problem. he's a problem in the republican party. the establishment is wrong. they all quickly said he won. he's our guy. is the republican party going to unify quickly here or is he in trouble back

mitch mcconnell has alison grimes in the fall who has great campaign. plenty of money. prominent democrats. that seat is vulnerable for republicans. you will see the same thing around the country. i say republicans do not only gain six seats, they may not gain any. >> we have anna who is too timid to make a prediction. >> the one i am willing to make a prediction on is mitch mcconnell. i think he is a savvy political operator. you're not in the senate for 30 years and not minority leader for nothing. and i think kentuckians are going to think very hard about whether they want to lose the power that comes with having their senator be either the top republican or the top guy in the senate if they're able to flip the senate. >> all right. >> we'll give you some of the most recent polls which don't support your assertions there that republicans will pick up any seats. thank you both for coming on and talking about this on this election day. >> extra pep in your step today. >> all right. let's look at other headlines making news at this hour. about 150 feet is all the distan

scandal, alison grimes joined john barrow and dave scott to call for shinseki to resign, but john boehner says that it is much bigger than one m man. >> this is not about the secretary, but about the entire system underneath him, and the general can leave and we can work around for months to go through the nomination process, and we will get a new person, but the disaster continues. >> seep your military responsibility from the "huffington post" david huff joins me. do you buy that? do you buy that the scandal would continue even if shen eck sek ki is out? >> well, i don't agree with speaker boehner much, but this is one i do, because i think that they are hoping to get the good health care people at the v.a. i was talking to a v.a. psychiatric nurse last night and she is saying that her father who served in world war ii korea veteran tried to get in and experienced the same problems and gave up and said, i am going to go off on my own private insurance in the 1970s, and so 245 the problems are not new, and they are going to take a long time to fix. >> and the florida republican congressm

so now it sets the stage for a major race between mitch mcconnell and alison grimes. as dana knows, she is there on the scene for us, as dana knows, this could be a very, very close race. >> before you answer, i want you to listen to what mcconnell said on grimes, then we will talk about that. >> my opponent is in this race because barack obama and harry reid want her to be in this race. a vote for my opponent is a vote for obama care. and the president who sold it to us on a mountain of lies. and that's why this race isn't about one party against another. it is about a government that thinks it can lie to its own citizens and get away with it. >> dana, strong words. is this going to be a close race? >> it could be. the next couple of months may be even month alone, could help determine the answer to that question. because up until now, it has been a largely unknown democratic candidate and alison grimes, 35 years old, she won statewide as secretary of state. but beyond that hasn't been in politics, obviously, that long. up against mitch mcconnell who is very well kno

alison grimes won on the democratic side. is there an early read on how they match up? polls show them even, right? >> very close. don't forget, kentucky, kentucky is a republican state. barack obama only won four districts in that state. so, you know, you have to favor mitch mcconnell. some say over $100 million is going to be spent in this state. but she's a good kand date. she's a woman. mcconnell has to unite the republican party and get those voters out and they're motivated in a midterm election with barack obama president. >> all right. we'll see what happens. >>> terror in nigeria. twin blasts rip through a crowded market in the heart of a major city. >>> talking in thailand. hopes for a break through as opposing sides meet this hour. >>> the new study about germs on planes will make you want to pack a lot of hand sanitizer the next time you travel. >>> new images from north korea in a land where foreigners are watched very closely. we'll hear from a photographer who captured some very

everybody talks about how hard a time alison grimes will have in kentucky because president obama has such low approval ratings in that state. well, mitch mcconnell's favorable ratings in kentucky are the exact same numbers as president obama's. and kentucky has had 30 years to get to know mitch mcconnell and over the years he's brought home so much pork half the state is called the mcconnell something or other. even if mcconnell does win the primary tomorrow and does win his re-election effort in november against alison lundergran grimes, which is no sure bet, even if that happens then it turns out thereafter he will still have another problem. >> will you support mitch mcconnell in kentucky as the leader of a republicans in the u.s. senate. >> my answer is no, jim. >> i'm going to support whoever will sign off on my drive to change the status quo. >> i don't know. >> the answer is no. >> yes, jim, because in the problem with senator mcconnell, isn't that he's ineffective. he's ineffective because he's in the minority. >> absolutely not. we need new leadership with new people there a

alison grimes won on the democratic side. is there an early read on how they match up? polls show them even, right? >> very close. don't forget, kentucky, kentucky is a republican state. barack obama only won four districts in that state. so, you know, you have to favor mitch mcconnell. some say over $100 million is going to be spent in this state. but she's a good candidate. she's a woman. mcconnell has to unite the republican party and get those voters out and they're motivated in a midterm election with barack obama president. that's thanks p. >>> mexico is a country where every day people fight to live. all too often, they lose that battle. a magnificent, heartbreakingly beautiful country, the music and food, and a uniquely mexican, darkly funny, deeply felt world view. right down there, cuddled up

the question is, who's less popular, barack obama, mitch mcconnell, alison grimes? it will be a race to the bottom. this is not going to be a pleasant race to be involved in. it's going to be expensive and it's going to be nasty. >> speaking of nasty, there's georgia's republican runoff, karen. two candidates now running off to face off against michelle nunn, the democratic nominee. >> georgia and kentucky are the only two pickup opportunities that the democrats are looking at this year. and both of them are really uphill races. but what the republicans did in this seven-person race was they sent into the runoff the two guys who are going to have the strongest chance in november against michelle nunn. she's going to have much less of an opportunity to pick off republican leaning voters than she might have had, had the republicans nominated somebody really sort of far to the right. >> so you've got david purdue and jack kingston in runoffs, in that seven-way race one got 30 and the other 25. and now, that's going to be the matchup. very briefly, chris, just to button

>> i think alison grimes is a better candidate. >> have we underestimated her? >> the sense of those in the national press are wrong. i've met her. i've wachd her. she has performed at a lel that democrats in that state are proud of. i watched matt bevin, a republican opponent for mcconnell, yesterday on one on the sunday shows. even if he said he wouldn't support grimes, he said he wouldn't support mitch mcconnell. if we know any kind of division amongst republicans could open a door for her to win narrow in this race. i give her a lot of credit for hanging tough. and obviously hanging well to beat the head bot with the error in news polls. >> whether the president has been completely successful against the republican opposition or not. that is a fair shot. and the issue of equal pay within that, but the income disparity problem that we are seeing in this country. people like elizabeth warren who are heroes on the left and you've also, donny, got companies now stepping up realizing if people aren't going to come around in washington, we're going to do what we h

obama, he barely mentioned his opponent, but alison lundergan grimes kept the heat on last night. >> senator mcconnell, this race is between you and me. that's the name that appears on the ballot. as you said, as you said so many years ago, it is my number one priority to make sure mitch mcconnell doesn't see another term. >> how did mcconnell's number one priority work out? president obama's in his second term and mitch mcconnell's fighting for his political life. joining me now are ryan grimm, washington bureau chief for "the huffington post" and democratic strategist tarah dibell. thank you both for being here. ryan, let me go to you first. senator mcconnell is running against president obama. is that enough of a strategy, and what can grimes do to attack that? >> you know, it might actually be enough strategy, just because everyone in kentucky is so deeply unpopular and people there are angry at everyone across the political spectrum. mitch mcconnell's approval rating is absolutely in the tank. the only thing you could possibly compare it to in kentucky would be president obama's

lundergran grimes. will bevin endorse mcconnell? he said he's never backed a democrat but argues he doesn't believe mcconnell is electable. >> do i think he can win in november? i don't think he can. for those who worry about keeping the seat, as is often said, they had better play close attention in this primary. >> mcconnell's rate against, 43% of registered voters backing her, 42% backing mcconnell. mcconnell told one crowd "people look at that i guess one of two ways. they either conclude you've been there too long or you're indispensable. who haviously i'm hoping for the latter o i ". one place he is not being replaced is -- this group was asked whether they would support mcconnell. listen to the answers. >> my answer is no. >> i'm going to support whoever will sign off on my drive to change the status quo. >> i made the strongest anti-establishment vote when i was one of 12 republican members that voted against john boehner. i never pledge what i'm going to do in the future until we look at who is