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McConnell Touts Obamacare Opposition in Fundraising Appeal | #KYSEN

With the subject line “I’m Still Fighting Against Obamacare,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell laid out his record of working against President Barack Obama’s health care law in a lengthy fundraising appeal to supporters Thursday night.

In the face of attacks from a Republican primary challenger in Kentucky regarding his conservative credentials, the McConnell campaign distributed the email Thursday night — a day after the Republican leader introduced an amendment to the energy bill that would delay implementation of the individual mandate. He also reminded supporters that he led the effort in 2009 for unanimous GOP opposition to Obamacare.

“What people don’t remember, is how many Republicans were toying with the idea of voting for it,” McConnell wrote. “With your support, I worked day and night to make sure Republicans fully understood the damage this law would do to our constituents’ health care. I worked to unite conservatives.”

McConnell is facing a competitive re-election, including challenges from Republican businessman Matt Bevin in the primary and from Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, a Democrat.

Bevin and groups such as the Senate Conservatives Fund have criticized McConnell for not supporting an effort to defund the health care law. Critics of that effort have said demanding that Obamacare be defunded as part of the spending bill debate would only shut down the government, while mandatory spending on the health care law would continue.

In his fundraising appeal, McConnell explained that he has two goals: seeing Obamacare repealed and helping Republicans win the majority in 2014.

“Now, you’re probably hearing from a few people who were drinking egg-nog on Christmas Eve 2009 that fellow conservatives are the impediment to our goal of getting Obamacare off the books,” McConnell wrote. “Let me tell you that dividing fellow conservatives is the only way to ensure our defeat.”

McConnell also released a radio ad on Monday contrasting his opposition to the health care law with that of his potential general-election opponent, Grimes.

This was at least the second fundraising email sent by McConnell this week. He previously touted his decision to oppose a military strike in Syria.

The third fundraising quarter ends Sept. 30. After the second quarter, McConnell led all incumbents with $9.6 million in cash on hand as of June 30.

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