On Her Catholic Faith
An Irish Catholic, McGrath grew up attending Catholic schools in Northern Kentucky and told Moody that her faith pushes her to work for âsocial justice.â
âItâs about making sure that we donât forget about the people who are left behind,â she said. âThings like the dignity of work â making sure that if you work, you should be able to have a wage that you could put food on the table and live a good life. Making sure that healthcare is a priority. Making sure that we take care of the environment. Workers rights. Making sure that we try to tackle poverty and take care of the least among us. Thatâs what my faith has taught us.â
United States Air Force
While some of assets ultimately derive from the Navy, a large amount of support is drawn from the United States Air Force. The Marine Corps makes extensive use of the USAF to Marines and equipment, along with utilizing close air support from the Air Force. The Air Force may also attach units to conventional Marine ground forces to provide coordination for close air support.
The Air Force traditionally provides the who controls “sorties for air defense, and long range interdiction and reconnaissance” while the MAGTF commander retains control of the Marines’ organic aviation assets, however Marine Aviation missions not directly in the support of the MAGTF will be typically controlled by the JFACC.
War Of 1812 And Afterward
HornetPenguin
During the , Marine detachments on Navy ships took part in some of the great frigate duels that characterized the war, which were the first and last engagements of the conflict. Their most significant contribution was holding the center of General ‘s defensive line at the 1815 , the final major battle and one of the most one-sided engagements of the war. With widespread news of the battle and the and , the final engagements between British and U.S. forces, the Marines had gained a reputation as expert , especially in defensive and ship-to-ship actions. They played a large role in the 1813 , New York and , Virginia, also taking part in the 1814 in the during one of the final British offensives along the Canadian-American border. The battle of Bladensburg, fought 24 August 1814, was one of the worst days for American arms, though a few units and individuals performed heroic service. Notable among them were Commodore Joshua Barneys 500 sailors and the 120 marines under Captain Samuel Miller USMC, who inflicted the bulk of British casualties and were the only effective American resistance during the battle. A final desperate Marine counter attack, with the fighting at close quarters, however was not enough Barney and Millers forces were overrun. In all of 114 Marines, 11 were killed and 16 wounded. During the battle Captain Miller’s arm was badly wounded, for his gallant service in action, Miller was brevetted to the rank of Major USMC.
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Mitch Mcconnells Certain Fate
Amy McGrath will try to do what Beto ORourke couldnt: Remove a high-profile Republican from a deep-red state.
Its official: Cocaine Mitch has a 2020 challenger.
The Democrat Amy McGrath, a former fighter pilot turned congressional candidate who starred in one of the most viral political ads of 2018, will take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his Kentucky seat. Her campaign is only two days old, but already the outline of a strategy has emerged: On a few choice issues, McGrath plans to position herself as a sort of pro-Trump Democrat, while framing McConnell as the poster child for a swamp in dire need of draining.
Its going to be a struggle. Defeating the six-term incumbent Republican in the ruby-red state would be an incredible upset in the world of politicsso unlikely as to be almost laughable. It would require a stunning feat of political acrobatics as well as an outrageous amount of money for McGrath to pull it off. And yet, Democrats have hope.
McConnells approval rating in the state is low, noted Representative John Yarmuth, a Democrat who represents Kentuckys Third Congressional District, and McGrath will have all the money she needs to compete with Mitch, he told me. Theres an opportunity.
Id give her a 20 percent shot at it.
Amys Husband Is A Republican Meaning He Did Not Vote For Amy During The Democratic Primaries
Amy and her husband, Erik Henderson, got married on 19th December 2009. Henderson served as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. navy. , he was stationed in Hawaii from 1999 to 2003. He then relocated to bases in Texas and Louisiana before moving to Washington D.C. to serve as an Assistant Operations Officer at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility.
Henderson retired from the force and is currently looking to move into the business sector. Amy and her husband have divergent political views as he is a Republican and she is a Democrat. Kentuckys strict partisan rules mean that a registered member of one political party cant vote in the primaries for another party.
Erik didnt vote for Amy in the party primaries, but he served as the treasurer in her campaign team. Amy and Erik thrive as a couple despite having divergent political views, and Amy hopes that people in America can have harmonious relationships despite their political inclinations. McGrath told the State Journal that one of the reasons why she ran for office was to help bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans:
I think it was the combination of the 2016 election cycle, the fake news, the divisiveness, the labeling of each other. My husbands a lifelong Republican. Im a Democrat. Thats America. And I was so saddened to see the country so divided. I just felt like we need better leaders, because it does start at the top.
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Mcgrath Has Seen A Boost From Strong Fundraising
McGrath has been a powerhouse fundraiser, bringing in $88 million as of October, compared to McConnells $55 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This funding has enabled the campaign to put out expansive advertising, highlighting McGraths biography as a Marine Corps fighter pilot and her stance as a more centrist Democrat.
As Voxs Ella Nilsen has reported, McGrath established herself as an insurgent candidate in 2018, when she won a primary for a House seat in the states Sixth District after launching a viral ad that highlighted her two decades of service in the Marine Corps. For the 2020 Senate race, Democrats saw McGraths ideological positioning and record as a veteran as key assets for taking on McConnell.
A close primary challenge from progressive state Rep. Charles Booker suggested that her more moderate approach wasnt resonating with some voters, however. And in the primary and general elections, McGraths campaign has been marred by some missteps, including muddled political stances.
In 2019, she said she would have voted to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, then quickly changed her position. And during the primary with Booker, he criticized her initial response to protests against racism and police brutality. Booker has since endorsed McGrath for the general election, and shes also released a plan focused on advancing racial justice that includes provisions aimed at closing the wealth gap between Black and white households.
Erik Henderson & Amy Mcgrath Are Raising Their Three Children In Georgetown Kentucky
Erik Henderson and Amy McGrath first met sometime in 2004, as she alluded to on social media. McGrath wrote on Twitter in early 2019 that she got lucky when our paths crossed 15 years ago. They tied the knot on December 19, 2009.
The couple decided to move their family back to Kentucky in 2017 after she retired from the Marines.
They settled in Georgetown to be close to family, McGrath told the News-Graphic.
Henderson and McGrath have two sons and one daughter named Teddy, George and Eleanor. McGraths cover photo on her is a picture of the family around the table, presumably working on homework.
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Kentucky: Gop Senate Leader Mcconnell Handily Wins 7th Term
LOUISVILLE, Ky. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the chief congressional ally of President Donald Trump, defeated his Democratic challenger to capture a seventh term Tuesday and build on his legacy as Kentuckys longest-serving U.S. senator.
The 78-year-old McConnell won handily against Democrat Amy McGrath, a retired Marine combat pilot. McConnell played up his decades in the Senate as an asset for Kentucky while McGrath portrayed the veteran politician as personifying everything thats wrong with Washington.
McConnell declared victory with his wife, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, at his side.
The people of Kentucky had a clear choice and they sent a clear message, McConnell said. Tonight, Kentuckians said that challenging times need proven leadership.
Kentucky kept its front-row seat in the Senate with his victory, McConnell said. But what remained in doubt was whether hell spend the next two years as Senate majority or minority leader. Democrats made a strong push to reclaim the Senate in Tuesdays election.
As Trumps top ally on Capitol Hill, McConnell led efforts to defend Trump during his impeachment acquittal in the Senate and worked with the president on a tax overhaul.
Amy Mcgrath Could Take Down Mitch Mcconnell But Their Race Is More Complicated Than It Seems
Earlier this month in what will likely be their only official face-off before Election Day Democratic Senate candidate Amy McGrath and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell debated key issues impacting Kentucky voters, like racial injustice and police violence, lack of federal coronavirus relief, and McConnells enduring time in office. At one point during the debate, McConnell quipped that McGraths campaign could be summarized in a single sentence: She was a marine, a mom, and hes been there too long. Shortly after the debate, the phrase popped up on stickers in McGraths merch store.
The debate marked a sort of denouement for Kentuckians: The culmination of several years’ worth of McGrath’s campaign ads, and even more years of a McConnell reign.
Democrats are working tirelessly to get Mitch McConnell out of office, but for some Kentucky voters, his Democratic opponent feels like someone selected for Kentucky and not Kentucky, given the fundraising, national endorsements, and momentum behind her campaign even before the state got a say in its own race. And now, with just weeks until voters will decide the high stakes race that will have an impact at both the national and state levels, some worry that McGrath, while better than McConnell, is still not the best choice for progressive Kentuckians.
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See Insider’s Full Guide To The Race For The Us Senate Here
Despite McConnell’s unpopularity among Democrats and her own impressive fundraising, McGrath was still considered unlikely to defeat the majority leader, who has held his Senate seat since 1986.
Not only did McConnell have a formidable track record and unparalleled stature in the state, but Kentucky didn’t trend Democratic at a rate that could put McConnell in serious danger.
The state largely doesn’t fit the demographic profile of many of the other formerly deep-red states like Arizona, Georgia, and Texas that are now trending purple thanks to sizeable blocs of college-educated voters swinging toward the Democrats.
McConnell defeated the Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes by 16 percentage points six years ago, and Trump carried the state .
Foundation And American Revolutionary War
The United States Marine Corps traces its roots to the of the , formed by Captain by a resolution of the on 10 November 1775, to raise two of Marines. This date is celebrated as the . Nicholas was nominated to lead the Marines by . By December 1775, Nicholas raised one battalion of 300 men by recruitment in his home city of Philadelphia.
In January 1776, the Marines went to sea under the command of Commodore and in March undertook their first amphibious landing, the in the Bahamas, occupying the British port of Nassau for two weeks. On 3 January 1777, the Marines arrived at the attached to General s brigade, where they had been assigned by General by December 1776, Washington was retreating through New Jersey and, “in desperate need of veteran soldiers,” had ordered Nicholas and the Marines to attach themselves to the . The , where the Marines along with General Cadwalader’s brigade were personally rallied by Washington, was the first land combat engagement of the Marines an estimated 130 Marines were present at the battle.
The Marines’ most famous action of this period occurred during the against the , when and First Lieutenant led 8 Marines and 500 in an effort to capture . Though they only reached , the action at Tripoli has been immortalized in the and the carried by Marine officers.
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Strategy And The Broader Senate Map
Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate and have to defend 22 seats next year. Trump won 20 of those states.
Democrats appear to have better chances at defeating Republican incumbents in states such as Colorado, Maine and Arizona, where voters on net disapprove of the president by margins of 13, 15 and 7 percentage points, respectively, according to Morning Consult. The party will also attempt to defend a seat held by Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in the deep-red state of Alabama while seeking to flip seats in the traditionally GOP-leaning states Texas and Georgia.
So far, other Democratic Senate challengers are opting to hit Trump on bread-and-butter issues.
Mike Johnston, running in Colorado’s Democratic primary to challenge GOP incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020, has vocally criticized Trump for his policies on immigration enforcement and Gardner for his support of coal lobbyists. Johnston also said Gardner has failed to be “a different kind of Republican” who would deliver during his time in office.
In Tennessee, Democrat James Mackler, a former attorney and an Iraq War veteran, became the first to announce his candidacy for the seat that will be vacated by Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander. From the onset of his campaign, he has vocally critiqued Trump and attempted to present the president as a direct adversary to the interests of Tennesseans.
Erik Henderson Moved Up The Ranks In The Navy & Became A Lieutenant Commander
Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband, Erik. It’s been an incredible ride so far. Here’s to more years of joy!
Amy McGrath
Erik Henderson moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 2009, the same year he and Amy McGrath got married. He was a C-12B pilot and Assistant Operations Officer at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, according to his profile.
Henderson continued to receive promotions during his time in the nations capital. His other titles included Department Head for Manpower and Reserve Pay Naval Operational Support Command, Assistant Officer for Plans and Policy in the Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel, and Department Head for Administration.
Henderson has now retired from the service, but his Linkedin profile doesnt reflect that yet. He described himself as a transitioning Naval Aviator with 20 years of flying experience looking to move into the aviation or business sector.
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What The Polling Said
Recent polls had found McConnell leading McGrath by varying margins.
The most recent poll, from Morning Consult, conducted from October 22 to 31, found McConnell ahead of McGrath by 11 points, 51% to 40%, among likely voters.
A poll conducted by Mason Dixon Strategies from October 12 to 15 found McConnell leading McGrath by 9 points, 51% to 42%, among likely voters, and a Data for Progress poll conducted from September 14 to 19 found McConnell ahead of McGrath by 7 points, 48% to 41%.
A survey conducted by Quinnipiac University from September 10 to 14 found McConnell leading McGrath by 12 points, 53% to 41%, among likely voters.
Quinnipiac’s previous survey, conducted July 30 to August 3, found McConnell ahead by 5 points, 49% to 44%, among registered voters.
Opinion: Amy Mcgraths Memoir Tells Us About More Than Politics
Amy McGrath ran for Kentuckys 6th Congressional District in 2018 and the states Senate seat in 2020. She did not win either, although her story of military service transfixed millions of Americans thanks to viral ads. She has written a memoir, Honor Bound, which offers fascinating detail on the physical and mental toll that military training and combat take, especially for a female pilot breaking the glass ceiling.
Below is a conversation with McGrath that has been edited for length and clarity:
Rubin: The generals for 20 years claimed we were making progress in Afghanistan. Twenty years later, we leave without victory. What happened?
McGrath: I was a relatively low rank as an officer at that time during my first tour, and so I believed what those above me were saying. They all seemed to believe we could win the fight there, and so while I didnt see how, I trusted them. This, of course, is a theme from the Iraq War as well.
Rubin: What about elected leaders role?
I remain torn on Afghanistan. Its not a black-and-white type of war. I feel terrible for the Afghan people, and I think we need to honor our commitments to those who worked with us . But when my friend, and fellow Marine pilot was killed , I couldnt say definitively what he died for. Thats when I knew for sure that I didnt want to be there and that I didnt think it was worth more American men and women putting their lives at risk.
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