Last night, Kentucky’s incumbent Republican governor, Matt Bevins, was upset by Democrat Andy Beshear. Today, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY), who has long prevented any vote on miner pensions has decided to co-sponsor new miner pension legislation with West Virginia’s two senators. According to WV News:

Joining West Virginia's two senators, Joe Manchin, D, and Shelley Moore Capito, R, in sponsoring the new bill was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The bill aims to secure retired miners' pensions by shoring up the 1974 Pension Plan, which is headed for insolvency due to coal company bankruptcies and the 2008 financial crisis, as well as ensuring miners who are at risk due to 2018 and 2019 coal company bankruptcies will not lose their health care, according to a joint press release from the senators.

If the bill eventually becomes law, miners ought to give special thanks to new governor Beshear and those who helped to elect him. Would McConnell, who is up for re-election next year, have moved on this had Republican Bevins won?