"WHITESBURG, Kentucky — Mitch McConnell staked his last Senate campaign, five years ago, in large part on his support for the coal industry and coal miners.
But McConnell's unwillingness to shore up the fund that supports miners with black lung disease or their pension fund, even after dozens of his constituents traveled 10 hours by bus this summer to his Washington office, has allowed a well-funded opponent to seize on what should be McConnell's strength: coal.
'Coal miners risked their lives to fuel our country and our growth into a world power,' Democrat Amy McGrath says in a recent attack ad. Borrowing a union battle cry that still echoes in the hills and hollows around here after more than 80 years, McGrath says: 'The question for anyone in Congress is, which side are you on?'
In an indication that it struck a nerve, McConnell's campaign quickly hit back with his own ad, asserting that 'Kentucky coal country knows that Mitch fights and wins for miners.'"
James Bruggers reports for InsideClimate News September 24, 2019.
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