alison lundergan grimes comes from a storied political kentucky family. she's also secretary of state, so she's not an outsider, she's not a usurper para chuting into kentucky. >> who's he talking to? older republicans willing to believe, joy, that this woman can't possibly be on her own two feet, just like anita hill, got to have people behind her, men behind her, that have moved her into this slot as a puppet. that's what they have to believe, like they talk about abortion rights, the same way, if she can't make a decision, she's not old enough, she's not smart enough. she's a woman. your thoughts. >> and she's a self made kentucky politician. this is somebody, as you said, who's gotten herself elected to statewide office. if she's tied to any president, it is bill clinton. that is the person who was really more for her, if you want to say, than he would have been for, you know, the celebrity for ashley judd. >> is he going to double down, is bill clinton going to double down on this race? >> of course. they can have him come in and campaign, but she do

he is already looking ahead to november, his real concern. 35-year-old democrat alison lundergan grimes. >> send kentucky's first female to the united states senate. >> reporter: polls show grimes neck and neck with mcconnell. she is running on a classic challenger theme, change. >> we've had 30 years of failed leadership of mitch mcconnell. we cannot afford six more. >> mitch mcconnell has made pretty clear that he is not so much rung against you, that his democratic candidate is almost besides the point. he is running against the idea of a democrat-controlled senate. >> well, this election, no matter who, you know, mitch mcconnell think she's running against, it's going to be about what has occurred on his watch. >> your likely democratic opponent says you're exactly what is wrong with washington. you're the personification of gridlock. >> i think what kentuckians have to decide is which direction they want the country to take, you know. do we want to go in a different direction or do we want harry reid to continue to be the majority leader? do we want to vote for barack obama in a st

the young, charismatic, very well-funded democratic challenger kentucky secretary of state alison lundergan grimes. the politics are more fascina fascinating than almost anywhere else in the country, completely upside-down and lundergan grimes will be fascinating down the stretch. a democrat from kentucky joins me and jeff mcintosh, communications director. and there was a lot of talk early on about the senate conservative fund and big tea party money flowing into matt bevin who would take on mitch mcconnell who was a symbol of the establishment the tea party hated and not much came of that challenge. >> no, i think you're right, chris. matt bevin made mistakes early on. he appeared at a cockfighting rally and appeared to endorse cockfighting. made some very tactical mistakes and turned out not to be the great candidate that a lot of people thought he would be. in a major poll released over the weekend 39% of matt bevin's voters said they would not vote for mitch mcconnell in november. 25% said they would vote for alison grimes. and i think the critical factor is mitch mcconnell spent $12 million

i want to play the clip from alison lundergan grimes in part because it seems like she knows, in somedouble-digit lead over mitch mcconnell against women voters. she seems to be trying to press her advantage there. do we know how that will play out in terms of the positions, the way they campaign and how much mcconnell may try to turn that around. his deficit with women voters could be fatal. >> that's right. women make up 53% of the electorate here. i thought it was interesting what you heard from the two speeches tonight. you can play the clips on a loop the next five months and throw in 75 million dollars or so and get the same result. i think what you heard from alison lundergan grimes over and over again is the same thing you heard since she got in the race, i'm a strong kentucky woman. what you heard from mitch mcconnell say, i know a lot of strong kentucky women, he talked about his wife and mother. three examples of people adversary affected by obamacare. all of them women. he recognizes it as a weakness and something he is trying to shore up. alison lundergan grimes recognize

i want to play the clip from alison lundergan grimes in part because it seems like she knows, in somes, a double-digit lead over mitch mcconnell against women voters. she seems to be trying to press her advantage there. do we know how that will play out in terms of the positions, the way they campaign and how much mcconnell may try to turn that around. his deficit with women voters could be fatal. >> that's right. women make up 53% of the electorate here. i thought it was interesting what you heard from the two speeches tonight. you can play the clips on a loop the next five months and throw in 75 million dollars or so and get the same result. i think what you heard from alison lundergan grimes over and over again is the same thing you heard since she got in the race, i'm a strong kentucky woman. what you heard from mitch mcconnell say, i know a lot of strong kentucky women, he talked about his wife and mother. three examples of people adversary affected by obamacare. all of them women. he recognizes it as a weakness and something he is trying to shore up. alison lundergan grimes reco

we do expect alison lundergan grimes to follow.ue from kentucky on this primary night. >> mr. mcconnell said one thing tonight that was accurate. he said, this fall kentucky as will not be deceived. [applause] and he is absolutely right. because in spite of millions and millions of dollars that he has already spent bashing alison lundergan grimes and millions and millions of dollars he is going to spend between now and november putting out the same fall since the law in november the folks are not going to be deceived. [applause] democrats and republicans alike know that after 30 years of dysfunction it is time to bring mitch mcconnell home. and he is going to know -- and they're going to lead to more things. they are going to know that the fellow will probably be unemployed, but we will not cry too much for him. we have all seen his financial disclosure statement, and he has done quite well over the last 30 years of being kentucky's united states senator. but number two, they are ready to it send to the united states senate a young

alison lundergan grimes is barack obama's candidate. >> mcconnell is so preoccupied with smearing presidenthe barely mentioned his opponent, but alison lundergan grimes kept the heat on last night. >> senator mcconnell, this race is between you and me. that's the name that appears on the ballot. as you said, as you said so many years ago, it is my number one priority to make sure mitch mcconnell doesn't see another term. >> how did mcconnell's number one priority work out? president obama's in his second term and mitch mcconnell's fighting for his political life. joining me now are ryan grimm, washington bureau chief for "the huffington post" and democratic strategist tarah dibell. thank you both for being here. ryan, let me go to you first. senator mcconnell is running against president obama. is that enough of a strategy, and what can grimes do to attack that? >> you know, it might actually be enough strategy, just because everyone in kentucky is so deeply unpopular and people there are angry at everyone across the political spectrum. mitch mcconnell's approval rating is absolutely in the

in the fall he faces alison lundergan grimes. >>> general motors announced a rule of 2.5 million. they have recalled vehicles for 27 different problems. >> a trl judge threw out a ban on gay marriage. it's time to show the laws into the ash happy of history. couples recessed to get married in the north-east of the states. yesterday a federal judge made orknep the 18 sth state to allow gay marriage. 45% of minister live in states with same-sex unions are legal. >>> now to a campaign in our capital. a series of ads on buses. featuring a 194 is photo of the adolf hitler alongside a palestine leader, calling to an ent end of u.s. aid to islamic companies. >> 20 of washington buses carry this sign through the streets - the message that the mus lij koran prescribes hatred of june together with adolf hitler meeting an outspoken jewish rabbi. >> islam is a danger to microsays the add founder. >> there's a call for genocide of mus leems. it's a - it's in the koran. >> it aims at ends us aid. it was provoked by this. a pro-palestinian group posted it on the city's doeses. gealear and herral

. >> we will get a big epa ruling before election day about coal plant regulations and alison lundergan grimesill have to go out there and presumably she's going to beat up on the president on that. >> look, there's a reason why mitch mcconnell in his speech tonight tried to pretend he was running against harry reid and not alison lundergan grimes. it is hard for him to win on kentucky issues when he's debating his actual opponent. i think that's what we will see all the way through to election day. she's kentucky through and through. it's why people are so excited about her. i think we got to see a really great fiery opponent who's absolutely ready for everything that mick mcconnell will tlou throw at her. we hear about the mitch mcconnell machine and what a tough guy he is. and we saw a woman ready to take it on and on her own merits. >> he talked smack about her as a toddler and her dad in an acceptance speech. >> he did. >> as we are -- we are retail consumers of politics. we sit there and watch them on tv and think harry reid is not a good politician, mitch mcconnell but they are doing ot

alison lundergan grimes is president obama's candidate. >> i will answer to the people of the state and not answer to the president no matter who he or she might be. as proud kentucky woman, i will speak for myself and no kentucky woman, mr. mcconnell, will sit on the back bench. >> margie, speaking of the polling, this is a statistical dead heat, and this is a contest that everybody is watching. it is critical to take control of the senate, and what are you looking for now that mitch mcconnell won so handily last night? >> well, he is hailed as a hero today, because he beat this challenger -- >> ell wshwell, maybe a little exaggerated. >> well, in the georgia race, the two candidates have not said i will support mitch mcconnell for the senate majority leader, because he is vulnerable. he is the ultimate washington insider. >> he is turning it to the positive, i'm the person with the experience and the power, and you want to turn that for a neophyte? >> well, the least most popular institution in the country is washington. nobody embodies that more than mitch mcconnell. he has been a pr

the senate, meanwhile, alison lundergan grimes is making the minimum wage a big issue in her campaign to unseat mitch mcconnell. "democratic u.s. senate candidate alison lundergan grimes reiterated her support monday for increasing the federal minimum wage and it will be the first thing i put my name to if elected to congress. joining me now are eugene robinson, washington post columnist as well as msnbc and ezra klein, also an msnbc contributor. welcome, gentlemen. picking up on that fight in kentucky, i want to show you the democratic house there also has pushed something about 10.10 an hour. it was stalled in the republican state senate and there's a bluegrass poll there that shows that 61% of folks in that red state do want to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour. walk us through the politics and the policy there. >> well, the politics, we see where public opinion is on this issue. and it's very clear that people nationwide and especially including kentucky would like to see an increase in the minimum wage. that's established by every poll. the question is -- and i think the repu

on brand names, political dynasties and two of them are on the ballot today, and democrat alison lundergan grimes, and her father was one of the cogs of the democratic party, and then michelle nunn daughter of sam nu nunn, and both of them are hoping that the name brand trumps the party line. and another story is that the republicans have a good slew of women candidates they have nominated and a couple that we are watching today and you brought up oregon, is she going to be as good of a candidate, monica wehby as some in the establishment are hoping and get through? how about karen handel who is trying to get into the runoff, but it is almost as good if not better than potentially the democratic lay of the land is going to be there on women. another storyline, of course sh, as i told you about are the dynasties and today, mark pryor, and jason carter, and grandson of jimmy carter, and daughter of sam nunn, and i told you about alison grimes there, and the other story that is out there is in pennsylvania. that has to do with all of the republican governors that won e re-election in 2011 in the blu

. >> we will get a big epa ruling before election day about coal plant regulations and alison lundergan grimesere and presumably she's going to beat up on the president on that. >> look, there's a reason why mitch mcconnell in his speech tonight tried to pretend he was running against harry reid and not alison lundergan grimes. it is hard for him to win on kentucky issues when he's debating his actual opponent. i think that's what we will see all the way through to election day. she's kentucky through and through. it's why people are so excited about her. i think we got to see a really great fiery opponent who's absolutely ready for everything that mick mcconnell will tlou throw at her. we hear about the mitch mcconnell machine and what a tough guy he is. and we saw a woman ready to take it on and on her own merits. >> he talked smack about her as a toddler and her dad in an acceptance speech. >> he did. >> as we are -- we are retail consumers of politics. we sit there and watch them on tv and think harry reid is not a good politician, mitch mcconnell but they are doing other business behind c

still many democrats including alison lundergan grimes are not exactly eager to be seen aside the presidentbut democrats are willing to tap into his list of supporters. >>> the senate primary in mississippi is being overshadowed by a growing investigation there. four men who support tea party candidate chris mcdaniel have been charged for their alleged role in photographing incumbent senator thad cochran's wife who is in hospice. he was charged for photographing rose cochran and posting a video online. then yesterday three more mississippi men were accused of conspireing with kelly. john mary occasionally hosted a radio show with mcdaniel. another of the accused is mark mayfield. he's a chairman of the state tea party. reportedly donated to mcdaniel's campaign and helped campaign for him. but his attorney claims the arrest is politically motivated. mcdaniel has claimed total innocence in all of this and condemned the alleged brief of privacy. his campaign issued a statement reading, as we have said from day one the violation of the privacy of mrs. cochran is reprehensib reprehensible. any i

you're going to see alison lundergan grimes running to the microphone as quick as mitch mcconnell is to condemn them. it's going to give her an opportunity to put distance between herself and the president. >> there is precedent, chris, when you lose the senate race. george herbert walker bush a perfect example, losing the texas senate race in 1970 and then moving into a series of appointments that led to the presidency. maybe alison lundergan grimes want to be appointed to an administration position but if she doesn't come out and condemn it in kentucky ken i think that race and effectively over. this also hurts begic in alaska and hurts landrieu in louisiana. it will be interesting to see how these democratic incumbents who are in tough races come out, mark pryor for example in arkansas as well. >> this is precisely why i'm so fascinated and so admire it. the politics just are bad. there's no point for someone like me who supports the policy to pretend otherwise. i do think, however, it's interesting the chamber's own analysis of the cost on this was so minuscule. i was actually my

mcconnell's opponent, alison lundergan grimes, is dodging questions on obamacare. she refuses to say whether she would have voted for it and she's running on fixing obamacare. now, is that really a good strategy for any democrat to be deploying in the election? >> well, i certainly think that she ought to be widely touting what they've done in kentucky and kentucky, i think, is a good model for the rest of the state, states that want to implement obamacare. but, look, all of us agree that there may be things that we want to fix about it. unfortunately, we have opponents who embrace the bad, who want it to be bad, in every possible way, and won't allow us to even fix those things that could be made better. >> well, you know, congresswoman, do you think obamacare will be a tough subject for all republicans in the midterms, given what you just said? because there's a sharp contrast between what obamacare has been sold as, and what local people see it as, that is, something to help them, especially fix a health care system that was in tatters. >> i think it's really a

alison grimes. listen to mitch mcconnell last night and then alison grimes. mcconnell says alison grimes equals barack obama. >> you're not going to be deceived. alison lundergane. >> she comes out though at her acceptance speech and says, i'm sorry, she calls mitch mcconnell senator gridlock and she says, don't try that. >> i'm here to tell you tonight, my fellow kentuckians, i am not an empty dress, i am not a rubber-stamp, and i am not a cheerleader. i'm a strong kentucky woman who is an independent thinker. >> dan, mcconnell crushed he said he was going to crush the tea party everywhere and he did it back home. what was striking to me last night was how quickly all of these conservative groups that yesterday morning were saying mcconnell must be beat. he's part of the problem. he's a problem in the republican party. the establishment is wrong. they all quickly said he won. he's our guy. is the republican party going to unify quickly here or is he in trouble back home? >> i was struck by that, too, john. i was not necessarily surprised but it was very striking to see them instantly coalesce around mitch mcconnell. i think it does tell you something about th

in kentucky, senate republican leader mitch mcconnell will take on alison lundergan grimes. mcconnell got close to 60% of the vote to defeat his challenger, matt bevin. in georgia, it's going to be a runoff there. no candidate came near the 50% that was needed in the seven-candidate primary field. right now it looks like congressman jack kingston will face david purdue in july. in idaho's high-stakes primary mike simpson, an ally of john boehner, has 62% of the vote over tea party candidate brian smith with almost all of the precincts reporting there. and just because the clintons are stumping for you, well, it doesn't mean you got the victory. in pennsylvania, marjorie margulies whose son is married to chelsea clinton lost her old house state to brendan boyle. >>> the planned execution of a missouri ie has been put on hold. a u.s. supreme court justice issuing the order overnight to suspend the execution of russell bucklew. there was little more than an hour to spare. protesters across the state you remember urged them to stop. it would have been the first since the botched

but the same poll shows mcconnell trailing democratic likely challenger alison lundergan grimes.avid perdue seeming in the lead. but it would take both slashing, spending, and increasing revenue to take down the debt. it's what his opponents have jumped on. >> he never voted in a regular republican primary. he's flip-flopped on issues that are key to republican voters' common core. and now we found out just this week that he seems to be a little bit soft when u it comes to not raises taxes. >> i use the word revenue. revenue is a code word for taxes in politics, obviously. the point i've been making for over a year is we've got to get the economy going that will increase the tax base and help the crisis. >> voter turnout is expected to be below 20% and at least three other candidates are in striking distance. the winner takes on michelle nunn. then there's mississippi where chris mcdaniel is trying to unseat thad cochran. a blogger has been charged with felony for taking a picture and posting a photo online of cochran's wife who was in nursing home. what? the blogger clayton thom

he'll now face alison lundergan grimes who will also run easily in her primary contest. expensive race. one democrat sees that as an opportunity to knock off an incumbent republican. there are two candidates in the general election, grimes and mcconnell, but last night, a third name was given a lot of attention. >>> my opponents is in this race because barack obama and harry reid want her to be in race. a vote for my opponent is a vote for obamacare. and the president who sold it to us on a mountain of lies. barack obama's candidates preach candidates but they practice loyalty above all else. tonight, i'm confident of this, kentuckians are not going to be deceived. alison lundergan grimes is barack obama's candidate. >> mitch mcconnell would have you believe that president obama is on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. president obama is not on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. nothing about this election will change who is in the white house, but we can change who is in washington, d.c. and finally put someone to the commonwealth of kentucky. senator mcconnell, this race i

that move to the right could complicate mcconnell's general election run against democrat alison lundergan grimeskentucky's secretary of state. she has managed to pull even with mcconnell in the polls in a red state where the president's approval rating sits at an abysmal 33%. >> we are no better off after 28 years of having senator mcconnell in washington. >> reporter: kentucky is one of only two states where republican-held senate seats are considered vulnerable to democratic takeovers. the other state is georgia, where five republicans vied today to replace the retiring saxby chambliss, and take on democrat michelle nunn, the daughter of former senator sam nunn. democrats, on the other hand, are defending 11 vulnerable seats, and if they lose six, they lose control of the senate. and that's why senate republicans are so focused on primaries like this one in kentucky. they've poured a lot of money into beating back tea party candidates who they think would have a harder time winning against democrats in the fall. mitch mcconnell alone, scott, has already raised $21 million. >> pelley: and the g

alison lundergan grimes is barack obama's candidate. gwen: and half a century after lyndon johnson engineered a sweeping expansion of government -- >> for in your time we have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the great society. gwen: how does it resonate today? covering the week, jeff zeleny of abc news. pete williams of nbc news. susan davis of "usa today." and karen tumulty of "the washington post." >> award winning reporting and analysis covering history as it happens, live from our nation's capitol, this is "washington week with gwen ifill." corporate funding for washington week is provided by ora bora, fallujah, argon, normandy, medina ridge, these are places history will never forget, but more important are the faces we will always remember. additional corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by prudential, brigham & women's hospital. additional funding is also provided by the annenberg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and by contribution

. >> reporter: he preached party unity and aimed at his fire at his democratic opponent alison lundergan grimesemocratic opponent this year, it's clear she'd be no different. she's a partisan's partisan who's been practicing party politics since she learned to talk. alison lundergan grimes is barack obama's candidate. >> reporter: that race will be a brawl to the end. in the shocker of the night, former congresswoman and clinton inlaw marjorie margolies was toppled in her effort to regain her house seat by a state legislator half her age, brendan boyle. in georgia, it was a seven-way brawl in the republican primary for senate and another stinging tea party loss. the two establishment candidates made it to a runoff. the tea partiers all three of them losing. in oregon, monica wehby's personal life including allegations of a former boyfriend who poured money in to her campaign didn't matter. she beat her opponent and will be the gop senate nominee in that state but leaves her facing a general election wounded. back in kentucky, alison lundergan grimes, mcconnell's opponent and a friend of the cli

alison lundergan grimes. and with me to discuss the bluegrass state is kasie hunt. he's in louisville. let's start with turnout. how is turnout looking so far down there today? >> hey, joy. we're still starting to get a sense of how that's turning out. obviously people tend to come to the polls late in the day. this looks strong for mcconnell. he has already turned to fighting the general election campaign against alison grimes. on the other hand, matt bevin's not wrong that there's a level of mcconnell fatigue. he's deeply unpopular here. i think the question going into this general election is going to be are people more tired of senator mcconnell or more tired of president obama. that's really the fight we're going to see being played out here. >> it's interesting because there's a piece in the national journal that talks about the party in kentucky no longer really being the mcconnell party. how it's moving more towards rand paul. mcconnell really relying in a lot of ways on rand paul to shore up his party and inoculate him. to what extent do you think the peopl

but turning to the general election, he seems to have a real challenge in alison lundergan grimes. polls have shown them in a statistical dead heat. does she have a real chance at winning this thing? >> yeah. in kentucky still a majority of voters are democrats there. even though it's a conservative state, even though the president lost kentucky in 2012. it is still a majority democratic voter registration state. mcconnell is unpopular. that said, the reason why the polls are close is that mcconnell has been going through a very expensive primary fight. there are a number of bevin supporters that said they won't vote for mcconnell come the fall. he needs the base voters to come back to imhad. to get those bevin voters to not vote for grimes or not sit out this election. that's going to be his challenge. and that will determine whether or not he's re-elected come november. >> absolutely. thanks as always. >>> up next, one reason why november's elections matter so much to our country. will we take a step forward in closing the income gap or return to the robert baron days? "the cycle

talking about kentucky where incumbent republican senator mitch mcconnell is facing off against alison lundergan grimesshe is using in her quest to take down the senate minority leader? her gender. grimes repeatedly using the same phrase of everywhere she goes, including when she won the primary this week. >> i'm not an empty dress. i'm not a rubber stamp. i'm not a cheerleader. i'm a strong kentucky woman who is independent thinker who is when i'm kentucky's next united states senator, the dec make will be what is best for the people of commonwealth of kentucky, not partisan interests. >> so, kirsten we saw in 2012 democrats used gender as a huge issue and i think a little bit some of russ tired of it. it worked but do you think it will be successful? >> it is a successful strategy for democrats because women are prime voters for them and they need to get them as excited as possible to get them out. so i think it is very smart for her. look, mitch mcconnell in a red state is going to be hard, he will be hard to beat but this would be the right strategy. i don't know what bob thinks. i feel she is also

the voice of a gutsy young woman taking on the old political establishment, the voice of alison lundergan grimesrepublican leader mitch mcconnell that this november battle's going to be, as she put it so boldly, between you and me. with those bold words, the 35-year-old kentuckian threw down the gauntlet, challenging mcconnell person to person, saying she'll do to him what he threatened but couldn't do to president obama, deny him another term in office.

he will face alison lundergan grimes.n her victory grants, she rejected mcconnell's attempts to link her candidacy to president obama. >> president obama is not on kentucky's 2014 election ballot. nothing about this election will change who was in the white house, but we can change who is an washington, d.c. and finally put someone for the commonwealth of kentucky. senator mcconnell, this race is between you and me. that's the name that appears on the ballot. >> in a closely watched ballot measure on primary day, voters in two small oregon counties approved bans on the cultivation of genetically engineered crops. the bans call for the removal of all gmo crops within 12 months. at least one of the measures is subject to a legal challenge under a new state law barring such bans. oregon's wheat exports were disrupted last year after a strain of one sancho biotech wheat was discovered in a contaminated field. the inspector general of the department of veteran affairs is expanding a program into the people delays of medical tr

first to kentucky where mitch mcconnell is battling alison lundergan grimes. mcconnell is up by 3, 47%, 44%. still close, even by a republican pollster. next to michigan, a blue state republicans hope to flip this november. it's congressman gary peters leading now former michigan secretary of state land by five points. it's peters 40%, land 35%, and that's good news for the dems. that's in line with an epic mra poll that has peters up by six, 44% to 38%. finally good news there. next, new west virginia poll shows republican u.s. congresswoman shelly moore capito up by 11 over democrat natalie tennant. 49% to 38%. and we'll be right back.  >>> yesterday president obama outlined his plan to end military operations and combat operations in afghanistan by withdrawing all troops by the end of 2016. all combat by the end of this year. well, today he followed that announcement with an emotional and forceful defense of that order, while also defending nearly every choice he's made as commander in chief in a commencement address today at west point, president obama d

. >> woodruff: mcconnell will face democrat alison lundergan grimes in november, in what may be one of most expensive, and contentious, races this year, as republicans seek to win back the senate. >> there's a reason, my friends, a reason every hollywood liberal is sending her a check. it's not because they care about kentucky. i assure you that. it's because they know as we do that there isn't a dime's worth of difference between a candidate who puts harry reid in charge, and harry reid himself. >> woodruff: grimes, meanwhile, released a television ad today insisting she would be an independent voice in washington. >> i'm running because i believe we need a senator who puts partisanship aside and works with both democrats and republicans to do what's right for kentucky, and our country. and no matter who the president is, i won't answer to them. i'll only answer to you. >> woodruff: the republican brass also got its preferred senate candidate in oregon, where pediatric neurosurgeon monica wehby, who is pro- abortion rights, defeated a more conservative opponent. they hope she can stre

first to kentucky where mitch mcconnell is battling alison lundergan grimes. mcconnell is up by 3, 47%, 44%. still close, even by a republican pollster. next to michigan, a blue state republicans hope to flip this november. it's congressman gary peters leading now former michigan secretary of state land by five points. it's peters 40%, land 35%, and that's good news for the dems. that's in line with an epic mra poll that has peters up by six, 44% to 38%. finally good news there. next, new west virginia poll shows republican u.s. congresswoman shelly moore capito up by 11 over democrat natalie tennant. 49% to 38%. and we'll be right back. i had to do something. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about two weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is appli

conversation i was just having with kasie how mitch mcconnell is set up for the fight against alison lundergan grimes in november after this tea party challenge. the best i can tell is the big advantage that grimes has right now she's in some polling up against mcconnell by double digits or another poll by seven points among women voters. she's a 35-year-old woman. he's been in the senate for 30 years and is not a woman. do you understand how those dynamics will play out for him and how they plan on working on that? >> i think this is the line. the playbook of survival has been a no holds barred -- a rip your face off the opponent kind of campaign er. he's cold-blooded in that political, calculating way that has made him a political figure, feared and respected. not always as well liked personally, but he doesn't mind that that's not something that bothers him. he's not out there to win those points. i think that's a tougher thing to do against a woman candidate. i think you heard him tonight. all after sudden talk iing abou his mother. he was talking about his successful wife, elaine chou. he is try

republican leader mitch mcconnell is essentially tied with the secretary of state there, alison lundergan grimesnnell leads 46-a45. and that's a state that backed governor romney by 43 points. mcconnell started when grimes turned 6 years old and his long time in office hasn't been kind to his approval rating. net negative of 5%. more voters disapprove of him than approve. meanwhile over in arkansas senator mark pryor has shed his status as the most vulnerable democratic incumbent. new polls show him holding a double-digit lead against republican challenger tom cotton. then there's georgia, one of the reddest states in the u.s. republicans hold both senate seats, 9 of 14 house seats, and the governor's mansion. but michelle nunn is running as a different type of democrat and drawing on the state's fond memories of her father, sam nunn, who served for 24 years there. she is now statistically tied with most of the potential gop nominees except for david purdue, a former reebok ceo who also has family ties. his cousin is the former governor there. and a recent local poll by the "atlanta journal-cons

the general election numbers show a tighter race with mcconnell and alison lundergan grimes.er enthusiasm is the lowest in 20 years. come this fall, the emphasis turns from registered voters to likely voters. it's motivation that will be the real determining factor. guys, back to you. >> and it is motivation. you look at these three states. democrats, let's say, have reason to be more motivated an excited to go to the polls. you've got three southern states that could go democratic. arkansas, georgia, and kentucky. as well as north carolina, but of course, couple points the other way breaks the other way. same with louisiana. suddenly you have republicans that can do really well. this is an election that is up for grabs. >> it is. >> in ways that senate elections nationwide are not usually up for grabs. >> that's right. you've got national ties on the republican side that could wash away the best democratic efforts. the reason the democrats have hope is you've got candidates like mark pryor fighting for his job, not being complacent. alison lundergan grimes and michelle nunn

but his democrat alison lundergan grimes who's poised to present a tougher task.he came out swinging at a rally in louisville. >> i am a kentucky woman who my republican colleagues have so generally referred to as an empty dress that seeks to retire mitch mcconnell. mitch mcconnell fails to realize that it's labor that has lifted millions out of poverty. as he says no to collective bargaining. as he says no to prevailing wage. you will have someone in the united states senate who says right to work for less is just another name for union busting and i will have none of it. >> okay. for mcconnell, it's not just about keeping his seat in the senate. he's eyeing the role of majority leader should republicans take control. >> there's only one thing we can do about it in 2014. in 2014 you can change the united states senate, make me the offensive coordinator instead of the defensive coordinator. >> very different tone there. gop candidates need six seats to shift the power. >> i say for you women in our room, you'll love our republican in oregon. she's a female pediatr

. >> if mcconnell wins on tuesday, he will likely face alison lundergan grimes.washington. of course the case could be made that's the mood every two years, how much of this race is going to be mcconnell -- how much of this is going to be him having to be on the defensive about the nearly three decades in washington? >> listen, i can tell you that this is a primary and he spent over $12 million in the primary alone. all he did is attack matt bevin and his democratic challenger. he is not running on his record. the reason is because he has been part of the problem. if people remember, he just gave president obama a blank check. everything that republicans have done over the past five or six years, they don't fight for anything. when we wanted them to stand up and defund obama care they didn't do it. their tax cuts -- >> a lot of folks argue they have stood up and fought. you mentioned the obama care fight. there was some 50 votes to repeal obama care, led by republicans. >> this is the thing. they funded obama care when they knew exactly what was about to happen.

after that, comments from alison lundergan grimes. >> on the next "washington we look at the immigration issue in congress with louie gohmert of texas, a member of the judiciary committee. joined by colleen hanabusa, a member of the armed services committee. she will take questions about veterans health care, defense programs, and u.s. policy towards ukraine in syria. bergstein of the m.i.t. energy review discusses technology from the past. is live on journal" c-span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern with your calls and tweets. >> the house foreign affairs committee holds a hearing on the effort to find more than 300 nigerian schoolgirls abducted by the terrorist organization boko haram. that is at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span3. also on c-span3, american deborahor to libya jones will be speaking at the stimson center in washington about the growing violence in libya since the fall of more gaddafi. live coverage begins at 12:30 eastern. you can now take c-span wherever you go with our free c-span radio app for your smartphone or tablet. listen to all three c-span tv channels or c-span radio

alison lundergan grimes running against senate gop leader mitch mcconnell. >> i am a strong kentuckyan independent thinker. >> reporter: she's already leaning way in, using her gender to appeal to female voters who make up more than half the kentucky electorate and playing to the fact that polls show mcconnell especially unpopular with women. alison grimes is a 35-year-old woman running very much appealing to women. you have a gender gap problem. >> we'll find out in november, won't we? i mean, the point is, women in kentucky have been treated just as badly in this environment as men have. >> reporter: but belying that bravado is mcconnell's overappeal to women, talking about his wife -- >> i'm so happy to be joined tonight by my wife. >> reporter: -- and three kentucky women he says were hurt by obamacare. democrats' other big hope for picking up a gop senate seat is in georgia with michelle nunn, daughter of sam nunn. >> reporter: monica webby is a pediatric neurosurgeon and a political outsider. >> i'm not a career politician. >> reporter: republicans are favored to pick up a demo