McConnell challenger pushes him to take stand on ObamaCare

A primary challenger to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is pushing him to take a stand against funding for ObamaCare. 

Kentucky Senate candidate Matt Bevin released a Web video on Wednesday that shows Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) calling for the defunding of the healthcare law. The video then segues into a speech by Bevin calling for the same.

{mosads}”We hear a lot of empty rhetoric from Mitch McConnell about ending ObamaCare,” Bevin is shown saying in the video. “Stop talking about yanking it out root and branch, and start voting in the U.S. Senate to kill it by defunding it. Stand with Senator Mike Lee!”

The video concludes by asking “Where’s Mitch? Good question.”

On Tuesday, McConnell told a crowd in Corbin, Ky., that while he strongly desired repeal of the healthcare law, “shutting down the government will not stop ObamaCare.”

The GOP leader is in a difficult position politically as he balances his role as party leader with a reelection campaign that has him taking fire from both the right and the left.

McConnell has already gone on the attack against Bevin, a former businessman, by trying to portray him as an unreliable conservative.

His campaign released an ad this week labeling him “Bailout Bevin” for receiving $200,000 in grants from the state of Connecticut after a 2012 fire.