Former President Bill Clinton headlined a fundraiser for Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes at the Galt House in Louisville on Tuesday.

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Former President Bill Clinton says Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's opposition to raising the minimum wage is reason enough for Kentuckians to replace him with Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, a longtime Clinton family friend.Mobile videoThe former president is lending political muscle to Grimes' bid against the 30-year Senate veteran, known as a fundraising powerhouse and fierce competitor.The speech in Louisville on Tuesday was Clinton's debut on the 2014 midterm election campaign trail.The campaign said the Clinton fundraiser brought in more than $604,000 and had more than 1,200 attendees from more than 70 counties."I love Kentucky. You've been good to me. You've voted for me twice. You've been good to Hillary. I love Kentucky," he said.Clinton touted Grimes' plans to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 to prepare Kentucky workers with the proper tools like broadband Internet for those in rural areas and proper job training."After you adjust for inflation, we are spending barely half as much money on job training programs at the national level as we were when I was president," Clinton said.McConnell's opposition to the increase, Clinton said, is part of the GOP's strategy to "just pout" when Republicans are not in the White House.Clinton also praised Grimes' plan to ensure job opportunities for veterans."It bothers me that the veterans' unemployment rate is 25 percent higher than other unemployment rates," Clinton said.As Kentucky's first female senator, Grimes said she'll work to level the playing field for women in the workforce."Women make up over half of our workforce, yet they are only making 79 cents on every dollar," she said.Grimes admitted the race between her and McConnell will be close and asked for all the support she can get."Fight with me. Fight with Clinton. And together the middle class will rise again," Grimes said.For his part, McConnell pointed out that he's handily defeated other rivals when Clinton has visited Kentucky.Grimes is seeking the seat that McConnell has held for 30 years.McConnell, seeking his sixth term in office, is linking Grimes with President Barack Obama, who is unpopular in the state. But Clinton carried Kentucky when he won the presidency.McConnell is being challenged in the GOP primary by Louisville businessman Matt Bevin.The primary election is May 20, with the general election in November.