U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell weighed in on the 2016 presidential race at a luncheon in downtown Lexington Thursday.
The Senate Majority Leader warned against the crowded field of Republican candidates getting too contentious. There are fourteen politicians jockeying to secure the Republican nomination for president next year.
McConnell warned against the race becoming unnecessarily brutal.
“You saw in the Kentucky governor’s primary if you get into a fight with somebody else in a multi-field candidate you could end up taking yourself down and whoever you’re feuding with down and somebody else benefits from it.”
Former Republican candidates for governor Hal Heiner and James Comer launched attacks at one another, and on Election Day got bested by Matt Bevin, who stayed out of the fight for the most part. McConnell never made an official endorsement in the primary. It was widely speculated he and Bevin didn’t get along-- Bevin never endorsed McConnell after getting beaten by him in last year’s U.S. Senate race.
Taking a jab at Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, McConnell said she will provide “more of the same.”
“I think the Democratic nominee hopes that it will be so appealing to be the first woman president that that will carry the day.”
Among the 14 Republican candidates, the Senate Majority Leader endorses fellow Kentucky Senator Rand Paul for his party’s nomination. McConnell said that Republicans didn’t have a strong field of candidates during the 2012 election, but that Mitt Romney was the most electable of the pack.
