Amy McGrath, former marine fighter pilot, pulled in a tight win for the Democratic nomination in this year’s Kentucky Senate Primary. She took 45% of the vote compared to Charles Bookers’s 42%.

A close race

Booker put in a strong showing, looking like he might edge McGrath out early on in polling. He had picked up momentum following nation-wide Black Lives Matter protesting, and saw support from far left party leaders in the final weeks of his campaign.

But McGrath had Booker outraised and outspent — money she used to promote herself as the best option for beating McConnell. McGrath’s politics are more moderate than Booker’s and being a 20-year armed forces veteran can’t hurt her in a predominantly red state.

A hard battle ahead

Democrats, who are ready to see McConnell gone are placing their hopes for an upset on McGrath, who managed to raise $40 million dollars, 96% of which came from out-of-state donors.

As far as how McGrath actually plans to defeat McConnell in a state that Trump won by 30 points in 2016, and McConnell has held for decades, is anybody’s guess. But McGrath is no stranger to fighting the establishment, which she alluded to in a series of Tweets on Tuesday evening.