This article appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal on Sunday, October 26, 2014, nine days before Sen. Mitch McConnell crushed his opponent by more than 220,000 votes; a 56% - 41% beatdown. 'Chuck Todd effect' aids Grimes rebound Jonathan Miller, Special to The Courier-Journal 11:55 a.m. EDT October 26, 2014 Democratic challenger for U.S. Senate seat gains ground in the homestretch. Several weeks ago, it looked like I had made a bad bet when I picked the young, brash filly to upset the old war horse in the high-profile U.S. Senate derby in Kentucky this fall. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was ahead of his challenger, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, by an average of 4 points in most surveys, and the polling