FreedomWorks endorses McConnell challenger

Matt Bevin, Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) primary challenger, picked up the endorsement of prominent national conservative group FreedomWorks on Wednesday.

{mosads}FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe, in his endorsement, charged McConnell hasn’t done enough to push back on controversial Democratic policies.

“For far too long Mitch McConnell has sat on the sidelines of pivotal fights, helping the Democrats pass unprecedented surveillance powers, the TARP/Wall Street bailout, numerous tax hikes and debt ceiling increases, and Medicare Part D. Most recently, he orchestrated the McConnell-Reid sellout bargain to increase the debt limit and fully fund a broken health care law, getting a $1.2 billion ‘special project kickback’ in the process,” he said.

He added: “Kentucky deserves better, and looking at the dropping poll numbers for McConnell, there’s no reason to settle.”

As late as last week, Kibbe told The Hill the group hadn’t yet made a decision on endorsing in the race and was still surveying its membership in Kentucky.

He did suggest, however, that he didn’t believe McConnell could make it through a primary fight.

“It’s pretty clear to me that, if Mitch McConnell wins the primary, he’s highly vulnerable in the general, and if you’re worried about saving that seat, you may need to reconsider your premises about who can win,” Kibbe said in last week’s interview. 

Bevin has already picked up the endorsements of a handful of other conservative groups, including the Senate Conservatives Fund and the Madison Project. McConnell is also facing a challenge in the general from Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.