Amy McGrath

American politician, former Marine fighter pilot, former college varsity soccer player

Amy M. McGrath (born June 3, 1975) is an American politician and former Marine fighter pilot. During her 20 years of service in the Marine Corps, McGrath flew 89 combat missions against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.[1][2]

Amy McGrath
McGrath in 2019
Personal details
Born (1975-06-03) June 3, 1975 (age 48)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (2017–present)
Other political
affiliations
Independent (before 2017)
Spouse(s)
Erik Henderson (m. 2009)
Children3
EducationUnited States Naval Academy (BS)
Johns Hopkins University (MA)
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service1997–2017
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Awards

McGrath was the first woman to fly a combat mission for the Marine Corps, as well as the first to pilot the F/A-18 on a combat mission.[3][4]

Following her retirement from military service in 2017, McGrath entered politics. She was the Democratic nominee for Kentucky's 6th congressional district in the 2018 election, narrowly losing to incumbent Republican Andy Barr.[5]

In July 2019, she announced her campaign to run for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in the 2020 election against incumbent Mitch McConnell.[6] In June 2020, she won the Democratic nomination.[7] However, she lost the general election to McConnell.

References change

  1. de Wind, Dorian (August 2, 2017). "Amy McGrath, a Marine Combat Fighter WSO on a New Mission". HuffPost. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017.
  2. Ellis, Ronnie (April 28, 2017). "NKY's Amy McGrath considering run against Andy Barr? CNHI News reporter Ronnie Ellis has the story". Northern Kentucky Tribune. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017.
  3. "Kenton native named to Ky. Aviation Hall of Fame". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 14, 2016.
  4. Kenny, Caroline (August 2, 2017). "Retired fighter pilot announces her run for Congress in Kentucky" (Includes video). CNN. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018.
  5. Tackett, Michael (May 23, 2018). "How Amy McGrath Went From Marine Fighter Pilot to Victorious Democrat". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018.
  6. Daniel Desrochers (July 9, 2019). "Amy McGrath launches campaign for U.S. Senate, paints a target on Mitch McConnell". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  7. "Kentucky US Senate primary: Amy McGrath squeaks out win over Charles Booker". Courier Journal.