Group launches $1.8M pro-McConnell ad buy

An issue advocacy group aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is launching a $1.8 million ad buy in Kentucky, the largest to date in McConnell’s race.

{mosads}The Kentucky Opportunity Coalition, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that doesn’t specifically advocate for candidates, is launching a three-week statewide buy. The first ad slams President Obama and urges McConnell to oppose him on military cuts, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

McConnell appears to have a comfortable lead against Tea Party candidate Matt Bevin (R), who has the backing of the Senate Conservatives Fund. Polls have found a tight general-election race against Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), though most believe McConnell still has an edge in the GOP-leaning state.

The ads could help McConnell boost his standing in the state without having to spend his campaign cash, allowing him to save more for the race against Grimes.