On Monday at a debate held at Lexington, Kentucky television station KET, Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, who hopes to unseat incumbent Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), once again refused to say whether or not she voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. That’s her story, apparently, and she’s sticking to it.
Grimes’ first awkward refusal to say whether or not she voted for Obama, who remains very unpopular in Kentucky, first occurred at an editorial meeting last week of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Moderator Bill Goodman tried to extract an answer from Grimes in three consecutive questions Monday night, but in each response, Grimes refused to say if she voted for President Obama.
A full transcript of the three questions from Goodman and Grimes’ answers appears below:
Question: Why are you reluctant to give an answer on whether or not you voted for President Obama?
Grimes: Bill, there’s no reluctancy. This is a matter of principle. Our constitution grants here in Kentucky the constitutional right for privacy at the ballot box, for a secret ballot . You have that right, Senator McConnell has that right, every Kentuckian has that right, and as Secretary of State, the chief election official, I’m tasked with overseeing and making sure that we’re enforcing all of our election laws.
I’ve worked very closely, especially with the members of our military, to ensure the privacy of the ballot box… Those that lay their life on that line…Question: So your reluctance is a matter of principle? Standing on principle rather than answering the question?
Grimes: I am not going to compromise a constitutional right provided here in Kentucky in order to curry favor on one or other side or for members of the media. I will protect that right for every Kentuckian.
Question: So, you won’t answer that question tonight?
Grimes: Again, you have that right, Sen McConnell has that right, every Kentuckian has the right for privacy at the ballot box if I as chief election official, Bill, don’t stand up for that right, who in Kentucky will?
Despite her public refusals to state whether she voted for President Obama in the general elections of 2008 and 2012, Grimes publicly cast a ballot for Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina as a member of the Kentucky delegation, which voted unanimously to renominate him, as did the entire convention.
Breitbart News last week asked Charly Norton, press spokesperson for the Grimes campaign, to comment or dispute this fact, but did not receive a response.
Monday’s debate between McConnell and Grimes at KET is the only scheduled debate between the two prior to the election.
Image source: Lexington Herald-Leader