When I had just turned 17 yrs old, I sat for my interview to become a midshipman candidate. The interview was with one of US Naval Academy’s “Blue and Gold” officers (the first interview to get into USNA), and this man was also our county executive (a local elected leader). 1/4 I was nervous. Some 30 years later, I can still recall the very first question he asked me…

“Ms. McGrath, so you want to be a midshipman. Tell me, what is the role of the military in a democracy?”

2/4

I've seen a lot of people expressing relief that Trump's candidate lost the GA SOS Republican primary, with some even suggesting their faith in humanity was restored.

I'm not especially encouraged. Let me explain. /1 Yes, I am thrilled the very scary and anti-democracy Trump-backed election-denier got his clock cleaned.

But remember, Raffensperger was 1) an incumbent and 2) a wealthy one, who put $800k of his own money into his race.

As we move forward, it gets much much harder for us. /2

1/4 My mother was one of the first to get the polio vaccine. Dr. Salk tested it on her at the University of Pittsburgh since she had already been afflicted by the disease. 2/4 She contracted polio in 1951. She spent weeks in the hospital in isolation paralyzed initially from the waist down. She then spent 9 months in a rehab hospital away from her family trying to learn to sit up, stand and walk with crutches again. She was 10 years old.

(1/5) These last few weeks, the consequences of Mitch’s broken Washington became clearer than ever. After months of doing nothing, he released a bill that did the bare minimum for Americans, and then?

He couldn’t even get it passed. (2/5) It's not just that he’s failed to do a fraction of what is needed to get us through this--it's worse than that.

Now they are telling us bold-faced lies about a "tax holiday" that is no better than a payday loan for most.

It's disingenuous at best and predatory at worst.

(1/7) I'm humbled that KY Democrats have nominated me to take on Mitch McConnell in November, and I can't wait to get started to send him into retirement.
Thank you to this team. Without you, we wouldn’t be getting ready to give Mitch the fight of his political life. (2/7) Thank you to every candidate who stepped up to run in this race.
Like so many, I am inspired by the powerful movement Charles Booker built to fight systemic racism and injustice and rightfully demand long-overdue action and accountability from our government & institutions.

(1/6) As we honor Breonna's life and mourn her death, it's critical we continue conversations about concrete changes to our policing practices. I want to share some of the legislative efforts that I believe would help: (2/6) Citizens have to trust that police violence will be scrutinized independently and fairly. That's why I support @SenDuckworth's bill to incentivize states to require an independent investigation any time a police officer uses force that ends in death or serious harm.

I had a fantastic town hall last night with Kentuckians. One of the most popular questions I get is “How can I get involved in the campaign at home?” Every hour today, I’ll be tweeting a new way you can remotely get involved. Happy to have you on the team 😀 1️⃣ Sign up for #CommonwealthCommonHealth. If you’re a Kentucky resident, sign up to help at-risk neighbors during the coronavirus pandemic or chip into the food bank relief fund: amymcgrath.com/commonhealth/

(1/4) We are all relieved that Congress came together to pass emergency funding to try to stabilize the economy - the country badly needs it. (2/4) But let's be clear, the original bill didn’t go far enough on protections for our workers, help for our hospitals, or ensuring accountability in how relief is administered.

(1/5) The number of confirmed #coronavirus cases in the U.S. has tripled in four days (938 on March 11 to over 3,000 today). In a crisis, Congress has one function — to stay on duty in DC and pass emergency legislation the country needs. (2/5) National leadership should be focused on making sure as many Americans as possible can stay at home as much as possible, per public health experts’ recommendations. The only way to limit this disease is to ENABLE people to stay home. The time to act is now.

100 years ago today, Kentucky became the 23rd state to ratify the 19th Amendment, which affirmed women’s right to vote, but many minority groups had to wait much longer. 1924 (Indian Citizenship Act): Native Americans are granted full citizenship, but many are still denied the right to vote.

(1/7) I called for an inquiry because of the grave national security implications of the Commander in Chief withholding vital military security assistance to an ally under attack from Russian forces, (2/7) and because of the alarming allegation that this was done in exchange to further the president’s personal domestic political interests.
The testimony we heard in the House hearings was deeply troubling and I will be watching the Senate trial closely.

My little girl has an ear infection and refuses to take any medication that tastes “icky,” so I went to Kroger to grab some strawberry syrup. (1/4) I found the syrup—mission accomplished!—and at the self checkout, I was approached by a woman named Mary. She's been crushed by health care costs; her insurance premiums keep getting higher and higher. (2/4)

Last #MemorialDay story. In 1994, Erik Kristensen was the 2nd class assigned to train me as a new plebe @NavalAcademy
He lead by example, never asked anyone to do something he wouldn’t do first. 1/4 The next year, Erik would become my platoon commander. He was the first upperclass midshipman in my company I really looked up to and tried to emulate. Strong, confident, but also level headed and understanding. 2/4

This #MemorialDayWeekend I also remember LtCol Mario Carazo “Sugar Bear” - At Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan in 2010, Sugar Bear worked side by side with me planning air operations for 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing @USMC month after month, when he wasn’t flying. 1/4 Sugar Bear and I would have animated discussions about sports, or politics almost daily…but what I remember the most was he would stay up late at night so he could call his wife and kids on the phone during the daytime (their time). He was absolutely devoted to them. 2/4

Another story to celebrate #MemorialDay
Miroslav Zilberman – My carrier qualification class called him “Zilby”, although his callsign was changed later on. Zilby’s family immigrated from Kiev, Ukraine to Ohio when he was a child. He enlisted in the Navy after high school. Zilby and I trained in the same small class to qualify to land on aircraft carriers. I remember his smile, and his laugh. He was very thankful for the opportunity to serve. He loved country and family. Was the kindest guy in my class, probably the nicest in the entire squadron.

Barbara is 84, and she knocked doors for our campaign this weekend. She was given 14 doors to knock yesterday, and she did 8 before her legs gave out. When she returned to the office, she said, “I want to finish what I started. Can I please come back tomorrow?” She was insistent. Today, she came back and did her last six doors. She said she had a great conversation with an undecided voter and they are getting lunch next week, and made sure someone else was registered to vote.

Today we reflect on what occurred years ago to our country.  We remember those victims of that tragic day.  Our nation was stunned.  I remember September 11th to be a day when I strapped into a jet prepared to do what my country asked of me.  I was ready and willing. For years after that, many Americans also were ready and willing when the nation called, and we are all thankful for this.  But today, we must consider the fact that we have been at war for 17 years since.