Despite the fact President Trump carried this Lexington district by 15 points in 2016, polling conducted by both parties continues to show three-term GOP Rep. Andy Barr slightly trailing his Democratic opponent. Retired Marine combat pilot Amy McGrath appears to be benefiting from heavy ad spending for the May 22 primary, in which she upset Lexington Mayor Jim Gray 49 percent to 41 percent. Barr didn't have a competitive primary.
The DCCC had initially signaled its preference for Gray, a construction executive who carried the 6th CD as Democrats' 2016 Senate nominee and would have been capable of self-funding the fall race. But McGrath stormed out of the gate with a powerful bio video about being the first female to fly an F-18 fighter jet in combat, raised $2 million for a cheap media market, and toppled amid huge Democratic turnout.
Republicans believe the 6th CD's strong GOP bent will reassert itself when voters find out more about McGrath. They'll attack McGrath, who grew up in Northern Kentucky, as a carpetbagger for moving from Maryland in 2017 (she worked at
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