Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) now finds himself in his first truly competitive race since taking office in 2012. And he is now facing stiff competition from his Democratic opponent, former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath.

But Barr's newest attempt to attack McGrath is not going well. And it ended with her hitting back in full force.

In a new attack ad posted on Monday morning, Barr splices together clips of McGrath saying "Hell yeah, I'm a feminist," with other clips of her calling herself "progressive" and "pro-choice," apparently taking it as self-evident that voters in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District will reject a candidate who is unafraid of these labels.

McGrath was quick to reply to the spot.

"When you can't run on your record, this is all you got," she tweeted at Barr. "I sat on a runway on Sept 11 with missiles strapped to my F-18 awaiting POTUS orders to shoot down civilian aircraft to defend our homeland. What sacrifice have you ever made for our country over your party?"

Barr, who votes with Trump's agenda over 96 percent of the time, including to support the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the GOP's massive package of tax cuts for corporations and billionaires, is a top target for Democrats in the 2018 cycle.

McGrath, the first woman to fly an F/A-18 in a combat mission, was propelled into national prominence, and to victory in the Democratic nomination, by a viral ad about her military service and her triumph over those who told her she would never make it.

Kentucky's 6th District, which covers the central portion of the state including the cities of Lexington and Frankfort, is in normal years a very conservative seat. Trump carried the district by double digits. But an internal poll taken in late April found McGrath leading Barr by 15 points.

McGrath has made clear that she has no intention of backing down from her values. And she will not be intimidated by Barr's attempts to tarnish what she stands for.