U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell made a stop in Knox County on Tuesday, while campaigning in Eastern Kentucky, and spoke to supporters gathered at the County Courthouse in Barbourville.  
 
“The question in this election is: will Kentucky go to the back row, or will it continue to enjoy the privileges of having a Senator in leadership in Washington, D.C.?” McConnell said.
 
While speaking in Barbourville, Senator McConnell highlighted his work to secure a buyout for Kentucky's tobacco farmers, meaning that tobacco growers and quota holders in Knox County will receive over $5 million over the length of the buyout. 
 
McConnell’s bus tour, which kicked off on Monday, will make 62 stops and travel four thousand miles before it wraps up in two weeks.  Senator McConnell also traveled to Bell, Harlan and Whitley counties on Tuesday.
 
Congressman Hal Rogers and State Senator Robert Stivers joined Senator McConnell in Barbourville and touted McConnell’s leadership in the Senate and how it benefits the people of Kentucky.
 
Rogers told the crowd that McConnell has worked to ensure Kentucky’s coal industry is kept on the forefront of national energy legislation.
 
“We need all the help we can get on coal and Mitch McConnell is solid with us,” Rogers said. “The other side, if you listen to them, is not going to be a friend of coal and we need Mitch there because of his experience to help us."
 
Senator McConnell is the Republican leader of the U.S. Senate and only the second Kentuckian to lead his party in the Senate. He is able to use his position to deliver for Kentucky and takes pride in representing conservative, Kentucky values in Washington D.C.
 
Stivers said he had no doubt what the outcome of the election will be in Kentucky.
 
“Our state will be one of the bright shining stars on election night because of Senator Mitch McConnell,” Stivers said.