WASHINGTON _ Mitch McConnell has a lengthy list of triumphs in his home state.
He played a top role making the Kentucky Republican Party a powerhouse. He returned the state to the forefront as a hemp producer, and helped poor students at a community college.
Yet Kentucky continues to lag behind the national average in health care and median income. Its teachers spent much of the spring decrying low education funding and changes to their pensions. Poverty remains a persistent challenge in Kentucky, with the rates in some Eastern Kentucky counties among the highest in the country.
