In June, in an effort to escape the sting of holding a large donor fundraiser with anti-coal Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in Washington, Democratic Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes pledged she would take a strong stance in favor of coal. Well, that never happened. She just made it up. Not only did Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s opponent not challenge Reid about Kentucky coal during the fundraiser, pirated audio from the event revealed that she did not even mention the word “coal” once.

Then West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, who is running against Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito for the West Virginia Senate seat, released a comical ad suggesting she is so bold, she will turn off the lights at the White House and fight her own party to save coal jobs in West Virginia. It’s embarrassing to watch. The very notion that once in Washington she would even try to be an authentic advocate for coal is absurd and everyone knows it. Tennant might know Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) (the only legitimate Democratic friend of coal in Washington) and Joe Manchin may be a friend, but she’s no Joe Manchin.