Pugh releases second TV spot as Wheeler campaign escalates desperate attacks

The Kentucky State AFL-CIO endorsed Darrell Pugh.

PIKEVILLE, KY — Darrell Pugh, Pikeville family man and small business owner, is releasing his second television  advertisement in the race for KY State Senate District 31. Pugh responded this afternoon after his opponent,

Phillip Wheeler, escalated his attacks and misleading rhetoric.

Wheeler's first television spot of the race, which launched today, falsely claimed that Pugh was a "Pelosi-Clinton politician," once again attempting to distract voters from the real issue on voters' minds: Wheeler's fealty to Bevin. Pugh responded with his own TV spot, evoking the great Kentucky tradition of leadership and bipartisanship, an aspirational message in stark contrast with his opponent's rhetoric.

"As kids, we looked up to our political leaders. They gave us good schools and quality healthcare," Pugh says in the spot, which opens with pictures of Carl D. Perkins, Wendell Ford, and Bert T. Combs alongside John F. Kennedy and John Sherman Cooper. Pugh continues by laying out his values and campaign platform: "I'm an Eastern Kentucky Democrat, with Mountain Values. Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, and Pro-Coal. As State Senator, I'll stand up to Matt Bevin. I'll fight for better jobs, pensions, and healthcare for our families."

The spot, entitled "Back Then," will be live on WYMT this afternoon and is also viewable online at https://youtu.be/0vBKgTsjGp0.