LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Protesters who shadowed Mitch McConnell during his home state appearances this week are vowing to keep tracking the Senate majority leader whenever he returns to Kentucky.
More than 200 protesters chanted and held signs Friday evening across the street from a Louisville conference center where McConnell and other Republicans were celebrating their party’s sweeping fall victories.
Protesters chanted “Ditch Mitch, dump Trump” and “We need a leader, not a creepy tweeter.”
Protesters raised questions about President Trump’s connections to Russia and called for an investigation. They also posed questions on issues ranging from health care and immigration to free speech rights that they said they would ask the longtime Republican senator if he would meet with them.
“We will continue to hunt for Mitch any time he’s in Kentucky until he agrees to a town hall,” said Kim Hibbard, who helped organize the protest.
Reena Paracha attended protests at events in Lawrenceburg, Louisville and Covington this week but never saw the senator.
“He is so afraid of the people … right now,” she said. “He doesn’t even have the guts to come out and speak to any of us.”
Hibbard said that McConnell chooses to attend public events where he speaks to friendly audiences and doesn’t face any pushback. She said protesters have been gathering outside McConnell’s office in downtown Louisville once a week and will continue doing so at least through 100 days of Trump’s presidency.
The senator said Wednesday that the protesters have a right to speak out, calling it “about as American as apple pie.” But he said they’re doing so because “they’re sorry they lost the election.”
And after attending a Chamber of Commerce event earlier in the week, McConnell was asked by a reporter why he doesn’t attend town hall events. McConnell replied: “I thought we had a lot of the general public here, plus a whole lot of others today. I’m perfectly open.”
McConnell fielded several questions from the audience during that event, including Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
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