Mitch McConnell Will Face the Fighter Pilot

Mitch McConnell will have to defend his Senate seat in Kentucky against a former fighter pilot. Amy McGrath, a retired Marine, has won the close Democratic primary against state Rep. Charles Booker, a progressive African-American lawmaker, reports NBC News and Politico. McGrath was long the favorite to be the nominee, but Booker's campaign surged amid protests against police brutality in the aftermath of the Breonna Taylor death in Louisville. The primary was held on June 23, and it took a week to process the crush of mail-in ballots. McGrath is a "fundraising juggernaut," per Vox, but she remains an underdog in November against the powerful McConnell. The Cook Political Report has the race as a "likely" win for Republicans. (More Amy McGrath stories.)