The two Texans, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, will be shoulder to shoulder, potentially teeing up another tangle.
And Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur who’s new to politics, will be Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s mirror in the same position, but on the opposite side of the stage. The two men performed the best on past debate nights when they talked about being outsiders to Washington.
The TIP with Quinn Scanlan
The Democrats vying to unseat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may get a new challenger: Kentucky Sports Radio host and former attorney Matt Jones, who announced on Thursday that he’s launching an exploratory committee. He said he won’t announce his decision until he’s talked to voters across the state and after Kentucky’s gubernatorial election in November.
“I think in order to win a race against Mitch McConnell, you have to run as an outsider because he is the consummate political insider,” Jones told ABC News.
Timothy D. Easley/AP, FILE
Matt Jones, right, host of Kentucky Sports Radio talks with his broadcasting partner Ryan Lemond during his radio show in Fancy Farm, Ky., July 31, 2015.
“Donald Trump will get 58% to 62% of the vote in Kentucky,” said Jones, who will be on a book tour in Kentucky over the next two months. “In order to win, you’re going to have to find 8% to 12% of the voters who will vote Trump/you. And the only way to do that is by being an outsider … and that’s what I’ve been my whole life.”
He called retired Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath the “establishment candidate” in the primary. McGrath raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after launching her campaign and quickly got shout-outs from national politicians, including presidential candidates Sens. Warren and Amy Klobuchar. McGrath’s campaign had no comment about Jones’ potential challenge, and McConnell’s campaign manager, Kevin Golden, told ABC News, “Let us know when he’s explored his way out of the primary.”
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News’ “Start Here” podcast Friday morning’s episode features ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas, who explains why former FBI Director James Comey will not be prosecuted for his secret memos, despite breaking FBI rules. Then ABC News’ Molly Nagle tells us why former Vice President Joe Biden is in some hot water over a story he’s been telling on the campaign trail. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEKEND
Sunday on “This Week”: The Powerhouse Roundtable debates all the week’s politics, with ABC News Political Analyst Matthew Dowd, ABC News Political Director Rick Klein, Washington Post National Correspondent Mary Jordan and NPR Political Correspondent Asma Khalid.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
