RAWL, WV—Extolling the variety of ways his past actions continue to benefit the hard-working people of West Virginia, a new campaign ad from Senate hopeful Don Blankenship aired Friday touting the multitude of new jobs created in the wake of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. “I’m Don Blankenship, and I’m proud to say that my vision and leadership created countless new job opportunities in the fields of search and rescue, emergency surgery, funeral services, and many more,” said Blankenship, referring to the 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 workers, for which he served a year in prison for conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards. “From trauma specialists and morticians all the way down to the manufacturers of vigil candles, gravestones, and sympathy cards, I’m committed to putting West Virginians to work. I’ve even created 29 new coal mining jobs. Can Mitch McConnell say the same?” Blankenship concluded the ad with a stern condemnation of the “big-government” safety regulations hell-bent on stifling the state’s economic growth.

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