When I first heard the name “Alison Lundergan Grimes” floated as a challenger to Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, I thought of what any worthless, narcissistic Millennial would: hipster music.
See, there’s a young artist who goes by the name Grimes (née Claire Boucher, but for today we’ll call her Just Grimes) who, in 2012, won the coveted honor of the #1 song of the year at Pitchfork.com for the pop-punk, synth-soaked tune “Oblivion.”
It only makes sense, then, to compare the two women.
For instance, Lundergan Grimes did not select her surname de novo; it came from her marriage to Andrew Grimes, a Lexington marketing specialist and professor:
Source: The Voice-Tribune
Just Grimes is unmarried but close to many men through her family and platonic friendships:
I have four brothers and many male best friends and a dad and i promise i do not hate men at all, nor do i believe that all men are sexist
Source: YouTube
This is the most experimental video Lundergan Grimes has released:
This is the most experimental video Just Grimes has released:
In her 2011 campaign for Kentucky Secretary of State, Lundergan Grimes received $2,000 in donations from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Source: Alison Grimes/Flickr
Just Grimes once collaborated with west-coast rapper Kreayshawn on a song called “DONT SMOKE MY BLUNT BITCH.”
Source: YouTube
Lundergan Grimes has voiced strong opposition to voter ID laws, comparing them to Jim Crow-era suppression for minorities.
Source: Alison Grimes/Flickr
Just Grimes has been interviewed by i-D Magazine.
At a June fundraiser, Lundergan Grimes attacked McConnell’s “no” votes on the Violence Against Women Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Paycheck Fairness Act.
Source: Alison Grimes/Flickr
Just Grimes has also weighed in on the issue of sexual assault:
i dont want to be molested at shows or on the street by people who perceive me as an object that exists for their personal satisfaction
i dont want to live in a world where im gonna have to start employing body guards because this kind of behavior is so commonplace and accepted and I’m pissed that when I express concern over my own safety it’s often ignored until people see firsthand what happens and then they apologize for not taking me seriously after the fact…
Source: Gerald Rich/Flickr
Here is Lundergan Grimes standing next to a giant skillet of pan-fried potatoes:
Source: Alison Grimes/Flickr
Here is Just Grimes expressing concern about wasting natural resources, which conceivably includes potatoes:
I’m sad that it’s uncool or offensive to talk about environmental or human rights issues
Source: Magnus Aske Blikeng/Flickr
Here is Lundergan Grimes with what appears to be a Bernese Mountain Dog.
Source: Alison Grimes/Facebook
Here is Just Grimes with some sort of shaggy terrier.
Source: Portable.tv
Pretty heavy stuff.
Whatever comes of next year’s Senate race, one thing is clear: Mitch McConnell needs to download Grimes’ record Visions to his iPod, cuz it really lives up to the hype. It’s on vinyl, too, if that’s your format.
Harry Hamburg/AP