Pro-McConnell group boosts Paul with new ad

A group supporting Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) reelection fight is boosting both Kentucky senators with a new ad that name-checks an economic proposal from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

{mosads}The pro-McConnell ad, from Kentucky Opportunity Coalition touts McConnell’s work helping to create jobs in the state and urges viewers to call him and tell him to support the “Economic Freedom Zones Act,” a proposal introduced by Paul that aims to boost economically depressed regions of the country with targeted tax cuts instead of government programs.

“In Kentucky, we work hard to pay the bills. But sometimes, it’s barely enough. We need to do more. Sen. Mitch McConnell is working to pass legislation to help create more good-paying jobs here,” an announcer declares in the ad.

The ad touts his work securing funds for Kentucky universities to “support high-tech innovation” and to start a new VA facility in the state.

It closes with a reference to the Economic Freedom Zones Act, and though the ad never mentions Paul by name, it’s a publicity boost for a pet project of his that’s formed a cornerstone of his policy platform as he’s built a national profile for himself in advance of a likely presidential bid.

McConnell has touted the proposal on the campaign trail before. It’s a subtle, but impactful, way the Senate minority leader’s relationship with the junior senator from Kentucky has paid dividends for them both during McConnell’s reelection fight.

Paul endorsed McConnell in his primary, lending him some credibility with skeptical conservatives, and acts as a frequent surrogate for and defender of the senator on the campaign trail, giving the traditionally staid McConnell an infusion of youthful energy.

And McConnell has lent some of his own establishment credibility to Paul, helping him build bridges with the more mainstream Republicans he’d need to woo if he hopes to be competitive in a 2016 presidential fight.

The ad is running on statewide TV and radio for the next two weeks, backed by an $800,000 buy.

McConnell’s Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, on Tuesday countered by touting the endorsement of former secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In a statement, Albright called Grimes one of the “brightest young leaders in America.”

“Her detailed plan to build the middle class will make our country stronger at home and abroad. We need more leaders who will go to Washington and put the American people before partisan politics. I know that Alison will be one of those leaders,” she said.