Mitch McConnell’s campaign releases new ad featuring local miners

LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Senator Mitch McConnell’s campaign released a new ad Tuesday featuring coal miners from Eastern Kentucky.

It comes just one year after they appeared in an Amy McGrath ad.

The ad released on Tuesday is called “Lied To” featuring two retired miners from Letcher County.

Randy Robbins, one of the miners, was featured in the 2019 McGrath ad and he claims he did not know what they were taking part in.

“They told me they were going to do a reenactment in a documentary on our trip to Washington. I thought it was to help the Black Lung Association or Mountain Comp, or the lawyers down in Whitesburg and so I went," said Robbins.

Robbins says he was not aware of it until a few weeks later when his son told him he was on Youtube.

“I said there isn’t any way. He said yeah you are on a commercial for Amy McGrath. I said that was a lie I did not ever do a commercial for Amy McGrath,” said Robbins.

Terry Sebastian, Amy McGrath’s spokesperson, released a statement saying

“Everyone featured in an ad is informed of the purpose and signs a release. Amy voiced the concerns of coal miners and those with black lung while Mitch continues to ignore them and not help them with their benefits when he has had years to act. For 36 years, Mitch has chosen to rub elbows with big coal company executives instead of actually helping coal miners. When was the last time Mitch McConnell looked a miner in the eye? Never cause he knows he has failed them. Four years ago he declared the war on coal over but where are the jobs?”

In the new ad Robbins and fellow miner Albrow Hall talk about how they see McConnell has helped miners.

“Truth is, Mitch visited with us, and he told us miners he’d take care of us. And he did," said Hall.

“Mitch helped miners with black lung and helped protect our pensions, too,” said Robbins.

Robbins and the other miner filed a cease and desist letter after the McGrath ad.

He says at the end of the day the focus should be about black lung.

“I mean when you go take a black lung test they don’t ask you if your Democrat, Republican or whatever,” said Robiins. "It’s just that simple if you stay in the mines long enough I don’t care what you are it doesn’t have no preference. "

An illness that impacts so many throughout the region.

Here is the link to the Team Mitch ad.

Here is the link the the Amy McGrath ad.

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