Blankenship Calls McConnell ‘Cocaine Mitch’ in Campaign Ad

West Virginia Senate candidate Don Blankenship takes aim at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a new ad that refers to him as “Cocaine Mitch,” according to Politico. In the TV spot, Blankenship says one of his “goals as U.S. senator will be to ditch Cocaine Mitch,” without providing any context behind the nickname. Politico reported that it might be referencing a 2014 report from The Nation magazine alleging that drugs were once found on a ship owned by the family of Elaine Chao—McConnell’s wife and the current transportation secretary. Blankenship spent a year in jail after a mine he owned exploded in 2010, killing 29 workers. That incident has also been getting airtime, with a super PAC spending about $1.3 million in ads attacking Blankenship.