McConnell gets his first Democratic challenger

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has received his first Democratic challenger in local Kentucky contractor and homebuilder Ed Marksberry.

Marksberry is described on his campaign website as "a man with a purpose [...] with ideas of how to make Kentucky better for everybody." In 2010, he ran as the Democratic candidate in Kentucky's 2nd District, but was defeated by Rep. Brett Guthrie by 35 percentage points.

"The reason I'm running for U.S. Senate is simple: The voice of the working class people is not being heard in Washington, D.C., and today we have so much obstructionism coming from our own leadership there. And for two decades, Kentuckians have suffered while he has enriched himself," Marksberry says in a video announcing his run.

It's hard to see a former congressional candidate who hasn't held office putting up a strong challenge against the Senate Minority Leader, but the timing of Marksberry's announcement is significant: it came the day after a poll pegged McConnell as the least-popular senator in the nation.

That same poll, however, still put him ahead of every Democratic challenger tested, including actress Ashley Judd, who is rumored to be considering a bid. And Mitt Romney won the state with over 60 percent of the vote, indicating any Democratic challenger will be a tough sell in the increasingly red state.

Watch Marksberry's announcement:

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