Mitch McConnell wins re-election for Kentucky Senate seat, invokes Martin Luther King in victory speech

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel has won reelection in Kentucky, retaining his Senate seat for a seventh term and triumphing over a well-funded Democratic challenger, Amy McGrath.

With 89 percent of Kentucky’s precincts reporting results, McConnell led McGrath by just shy of 20 points on Tuesday night, putting the two contenders at 58 and 38.1 percent, respectively.

In his victory speech, McConnell recalled witnessing Martin Luther King’s iconic march on Washington, saying that he had “dreamed about doing big things” with his career, but never expected to be made “the longest serving senator” in Kentucky history.

Though the win does not come as an upset, McGrath made a strong showing in the race, raising a record $36.8 million in the July-September quarter while riding a wave of indignation over the GOP-led Senate’s fast-tracking of a vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, overseen by McConnell as Majority Leader. Despite the influx of donations and outspending the Republican incumbent, however, McConnell appears to have taken the win handily.

McConnell’s victory has stoked vocal complaints from critics, some baffled that the long-term senator has managed to retain his seat for so many years, while others suggested the win meant “nobody really wants change.”

The lawmaker was not without his backers, however, as the win was also met with an outpouring of congratulations, one netizen arguing McConnell would “keep other Republicans in check” in the upper chamber.

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