McConnell backs establishment Republican in GOP primary

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U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell on Tuesday publicly endorsed the GOP establishment’s candidate for Kentucky’s other Senate seat over a newcomer backed by the ‘tea party’ movement and by retiring Sen. Jim Bunning.

In a written statement, McConnell said Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson “has a track record of leading by example” and called on voters to choose him as the Republican nominee in the May 18 primary election.

Grayson faces five Republicans — including political outsider Rand Paul — who are seeking the GOP nomination to run for Bunning’s seat. Paul is the son of Texas congressman Ron Paul, who made an unsuccessful bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008. The younger Paul has capitalized on his father’s political base.

Bunning opted not to seek reelection under pressure from McConnell and other Republican leaders.
The endorsement underscores the long-standing estrangement between McConnell and Bunning, who endorsed Paul.

It’s the latest in a series of high-profile endorsements.

Fundamentalist Christian leader James Dobson rescinded his endorsement of Grayson on Monday, encouraging Kentuckians instead to vote for Paul, a Bowling Green physician.

Dobson, a leading abortion foe and founder of the Colorado-based ministry Focus on the Family, called his Grayson endorsement “an embarrassing mistake” based on what he termed “misleading information” from Republican leaders.

Grayson picked up another key endorsement Monday from Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), a revered political figure in the state’s mountain region, which will be a key battleground in the primary.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani have endorsed Grayson.

Paul has been endorsed by Bunning, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes.

-- Associated Press