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Kentucky Senate candidate Amy McGrath failed to pay property taxes six times in five years

McGrath is challenging Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his seat in Kentucky.

Published: August 11, 2020 11:15am

Updated: August 11, 2020 2:02pm

Kentucky Democratic Senate nominee Amy McGrath has been penalized six times in the last five years for failing to make property tax payments on her Virginia home, according to a report. 

McGrath and her husband purchased their Virginia home in 2010 for $739,000, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon. Between November 2011 and October 2016, she and her husband garnered six fines of up to $500 each for semi-annual property tax payments.

The Democrat challenging Mitch McConnell for his Senate seat sold the home in 2016 when she moved to Kentucky to challenge GOP congressman Andy Barr for his seat, a race she lost by nearly 10,000 votes. 

In June, McGrath narrowly won her party primary following a surge in favor of her progressive challenger Charles Booker in the wake of the nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. While McGrath spent nearly $30 million on her primary campaign, Booker spent $4.2 million.

Booker endorsed McGrath on Friday, five weeks after the election was called. In his statement of endorsement, Booker urged his former opponent "to authentically listen to and lift up the people of Kentucky." He told her that the people of Kentucky would not give the former Marine "a pass to maintain the status quo." He asked his supporters to give McGrath a "chance to earn your vote."

Though McGrath has proven herself to be a strong national fundraiser, a mere 3.5% of her campaign cash comes from sources within Kentucky. An Aug. 6 Quinnipiac poll also found that only 32% of Kentucky voters view the Democrat favorably, and just 17% of her own voters say they support her "mainly because [they] like Amy McGrath."

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