Retired Marine Fighter Pilot Amy McGrath to Fly across Kentucky in Bid to Unseat Mitch McConnell

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Retired Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath will be in very familiar territory the last three months of her bid to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell: behind the controls of an aircraft. 

Unlike Mitch McConnell, who is a career politician, McGrath spent her career as a Marine fighter pilot and was the first woman Marine to fly a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet.

McGrath plans to fly herself across Kentucky to every region, community and neighborhood in the state leading up to the Nov. 3 election. 

“In early March, our campaign had to make several adjustments when COVID-19 changed the way we previously operated our day-to-day business,” McGrath said. “Flying across Kentucky will help us achieve our goal of reaching out to every Kentuckian while providing safety advantages during this time, including shortening trip times and allowing for more social distancing during travel.”

McGrath, who will be accompanied by another pilot, said dusting off her flight jacket for the campaign makes sense given the geography of Kentucky and her desire to listen to folks in every corner of the commonwealth with constraints of a pandemic and to share her plan for Kentucky widely in the next three months. 

McGrath today flew to Eastern Kentucky to meet with coal miners and teachers and to tour a local summer meals program for children. Friday, she will be making stops in Bowling Green talking with community leaders. 

Saturday, McGrath will travel the state to kick off a voter registration initiative as part of her ongoing efforts to give all Kentuckians a voice in the upcoming election and in Washington.