Obama just handed Mitch McConnell re-election gold

(Image credit: Sascha Schuermann)

last updated 8 January 2015

The Obama administration on Monday unveiled a new proposal to curb power plant emissions by 30 percent come 2030, and no one could be happier than Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

Kentucky is a coal-heavy state — it was the nation's third-largest coal producer in 2012, with 93 percent of its energy coming from that source — so coal-curbing EPA regulations probably won't go over well in the Bluegrass State. Hence, McConnell swiftly blasted the proposal as "a dagger in the heart of the American middle class, and to representative Democracy itself," adding that its effects would be "staggering for millions."

McConnell has a sizable advantage heading toward November. He probably won't need the War on Coal pitch to steer his campaign to victory, though it never hurts to have another issue around which to energize the base when you're up for re-election.

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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.