McGrath campaign staffers to join union

Staffers on Amy McGrath’s Senate campaign in Kentucky are beginning the process of joining a union a week after she won the Democratic primary in the Bluegrass State.

McGrath said in a statement that she would support her staffers’ decision to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers chapter in Louisville, saying she’s been a strong supporter of unions.

“Unions are the backbone of our state’s economy, and I strongly support the right of workers to organize and engage in collective bargaining. That’s why from the beginning of this campaign I’ve made sure that everyone on staff (even interns) earns at least $15 an hour and receives health care coverage. Workers’ rights have been hard won, and my campaign is proud to be a part of that movement,” she said.

McGrath won the Kentucky Democratic Senate primary last week over state Rep. Charles Booker in an unexpectedly tight contest. She will go on to face Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) in the general election in November.

McGrath, a moderate, has hinged her campaign on being able to appeal to rural voters who are displeased with the current climate in Washington, warning during the primary that progressive candidates such as Booker would be unable to gain enough support in the conservative state to put up a real challenge against McConnell in the fall.

Democrats have put a premium on boosting their support among labor groups after the party shed white working-class voters in the 2016 election to President Trump.