Dem ad maker cuts new ad in Kentucky for Amy McGrath

A prominent Democratic media consultant is cutting a television ad on behalf of retired Lt. Col. Amy McGrath, a Democrat running for Rep. Andy Barr’s (R-Ky.) House seat, Politico Playbook reported Tuesday.

The ad by Mark Putnam, who worked on the ad teams for former President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, offers a glimpse into Democrats’ efforts to recruit veterans to run in 2018 midterm elections, according to Politico.

The ad highlights McGrath’s military service, particularly her role as the first female Marine to fly in an F-18 in combat.

{mosads}”When I was 13, my congressman told me I couldn’t fly in combat. He said Congress thought women ought to be protected and not allowed to serve in combat,” she says in the ad, titled “Told Me.” “I never got a letter back from my senator, Mitch McConnell.”

“Then I got into the Naval Academy and, wouldn’t you know, that’s when they changed the law,” she continued. “I’m Amy McGrath and I love our country. I spent 20 years as a U.S. Marine, flew 89 combat missions bombing al Qaeda and the Taliban.”

Barr won his 2016 reelection bid in Kentucky’s 6th District by more than 20 points.

But the ad also casts Barr as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) “hand-picked congressman,” saying he has vowed to “vote enthusiastically to take healthcare away from over a quarter-million Kentuckians.”

Democrats are hoping to capitalize on President Trump’s early unpopularity during the 2018 midterms and are targeting GOP-held House seats in hopes of retaking their majority in the chamber.

Updated on Aug. 2 at 7:51 a.m. to correct the rank McGrath’s held.