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Kentucky Democrat Backs Down After Mitch McConnell Accepts His Debate Challenge

By Joe Setyon September 3, 2019 at 3:36pm

On Monday, a Democratic representative from Kentucky said he would run against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican who is up for re-election in 2020, if certain conditions were met.

McConnell, for his part, agreed.

But on Tuesday, his would-be challenger was singing a different tune.

WHAS asked Rep. John Yarmuth on Monday if he would run against McConnell in 2020.

“I have no desire to run against Mitch McConnell,” Yarmuth replied.

But he added, with a smile on his face, “I would say this — if Mitch McConnell would agree to debate me five times in public, I’d do it.”

McConnell appeared to be up for the challenge.

“Accepted. When is the announcement?” read a Tuesday tweet from his official campaign account. The tweet was signed “MM,” suggesting that it came straight from McConnell himself.

Accepted. When is the announcement?
– MM https://t.co/RnfUtWMkfV

— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) September 3, 2019

McConnell’s campaign then trolled Yarmuth in a follow-up tweet.

.@RepJohnYarmuth https://t.co/zaNZxY9Nt5 pic.twitter.com/6vnE2yEWgE

— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) September 3, 2019

But it appears Yarmuth was not willing to hold up his end of the bargain.

“Obviously the congressman was making a joke about Senator McConnell’s long record of refusing to meet with anyone except donors and special interests writing him checks,” the representative’s communications director, Christopher Schuler, told Fox News.

Would you like to see McConnell debate Yarmuth?

“He does hope that the senator is serious about debating his opponent next year though,” Schuler added. “Kentuckians deserve to hear him defend his actions, and lack thereof, that have been so destructive to our commonwealth and country.”

McConnell’s campaign, meanwhile, issued the perfect response in GIF form:

https://t.co/8bFnq8Sk0g pic.twitter.com/VK01gScUJU

— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) September 3, 2019

If he had decided to run, Yarmuth would have been joining a Democratic field that already includes retired Marine aviator Amy McGrath.

Sports radio host Matt Jones has also been rumored to be interested in running.

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Tags:

2020 election, Democrats, Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, Senate, U.S. News

Joe Setyon

Deputy Managing Editor, Editorial

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.

@JoeSetyon

Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Politics