RNC Research

As Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes Declines To Answer Questions, Kentuckians Are Left In The Dark On Where She Stands On The Issues.  “Campaign appearances are sporadic and tightly managed. Responses to questions about hot-button issues are scripted — excessively, in the minds of even some allies — or not responsive at all, lest Grimes take a position that upsets either her liberal base or the moderate voters she needs to win over.” (Manu Raju, “Bluegrass Bravado: Untested Alison Lundergan Grimes Takes On Mitch McConnell,” Politico, 1/23/14)

Grimes Ducks Answering Questions On Obama’s Policies, Despite Being An Avowed Obama Supporter

“Indeed, Grimes Has Tried To Shed Any Association With The Unpopular President — So Much So That She Often Avoids Addressing Questions About His Major Policies.” (Manu Raju, “Bluegrass Bravado: Untested Alison Lundergan Grimes Takes On Mitch McConnell,” Politico, 1/23/14)

• Grimes Publicly Backed Obama’s Reelection. “A spokeswoman later said Grimes had been a Hillary Clinton delegate at the 2008 Democratic Convention, though she was a member of the Kentucky delegation to the convention four years later and said publicly at the time that she backed the president’s reelection bid.” (Manu Raju, “Bluegrass Bravado: Untested Alison Lundergan Grimes Takes On Mitch McConnell,” Politico, 1/23/14)

In A Nine Minute Interview, Grimes Declined To Take A Stand On A Host Of Issues

In An Interview, Grimes Refused To Say Where She Stands On Coal-Fired Power Plants And Whether She Supports Cap-And-Trade Legislation.  “In an interview that the campaign limited to less than nine minutes, Grimes declined three times to say whether she opposes new federal emission regulations on coal-fired power plants, instead raising more general concerns about burdensome restrictions on Kentucky’s coal sector. She wouldn’t explicitly say whether she opposes cap-and-trade legislation to control global warming, saying instead there are ‘too many regulations’ on businesses. [A spokeswoman later said that Grimes does, in fact, oppose cap-and-trade.]” (Manu Raju, “Bluegrass Bravado: Untested Alison Lundergan Grimes Takes On Mitch McConnell,” Politico, 1/23/14)

Grimes Declined To State Her Position On Drilling In ANWR And Taxes. “In the interview, Grimes wouldn’t say whether she’d back oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (when pressed, she said she’d ‘consider’ it). She brushed aside a question about raising taxes for families who earn more than $250,000 — saying only that the budget shouldn’t be balanced on the ‘backs of hard-working Kentuckians’ and attacking McConnell for ‘looking out for the top 1 percent.’” (Manu Raju, “Bluegrass Bravado: Untested Alison Lundergan Grimes Takes On Mitch McConnell,” Politico, 1/23/14)

When Faced With A “Simple” ObamaCare Question, Grimes Resorted To A Political Attack. “A simple question posed to Grimes about a key provision in ObamaCare — should the mandate on individuals to buy insurance be put off for a year? — prompts an answer about easing the burden on small businesses and a shot at McConnell.” (Manu Raju, “Bluegrass Bravado: Untested Alison Lundergan Grimes Takes On Mitch McConnell,” Politico, 1/23/14)

“Asked Whether She’d Vote For The President Again If She Had A Chance To Do It Over, Grimes Said ‘Your Facts Are Mistaken There’ And Wouldn’t Go Further.” (Manu Raju, “Bluegrass Bravado: Untested Alison Lundergan Grimes Takes On Mitch McConnell,” Politico, 1/23/14)