July 29 roundup: Campaigns spin poll; Grimes rally starts bus tour headed west; a W.Va. ad looks familiar

Starting the sojourn through Western Kentucky to Saturday's Fancy Farm Picnic:

• "Sen. Mitch McConnell and Alison Lundergan Grimes have released statements in response to Monday's release of a WHAS11/Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll," in which McConnell's led by 2 percentage points, reports Joe Arnold of Louisvile's WHAS-TV. McConnell's campaign said President Obama needs Grimes and Kentucky needs McConnell, calling a vote for Grimes "another Obama vote in the Senate." Grimes's campaign, which compared McConnell to Darth Vader, said it would "use our multi-million dollar war chest to fire with both barrels through Fancy Farm and into Election Day." 
• Grimes kicked off her 'Road to Fancy Farm' bus tour this evening with a Lexington rally that offered "an extensive critique of McConnell," Sam Youngman reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "You all know Mitch McConnell said his number one priority was to make sure that our president didn't see another term," Grimes said. "Well, it is my number one priority to make sure Mitch McConnell doesn't see a sixth term." 
• West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, the Democratic nominee in the election to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, launched a TV ad that was somewhat reminiscent of those by Grimes and McConnell, saying "I’ve fought to protect our coal jobs right alongside Joe Manchin, and I’ll stand up to leaders of both parties who threaten our way of life. ... I’ll make sure President Obama gets the message." The ad begins with Tennant asking "Where do they think they get their electricity?" and ends with her throwing a huge circuit breaker that plunges the White House into darkness.