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View Of Kentucky's Economy Varies Among Political Leaders

The condition of Kentucky's economy depends largely on which political leader happens to offer the prognosis — and maybe which part of the state is being assessed.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blames the Obama administration for hard times in his home state's eastern coal fields.

Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, meanwhile, trumpets a state economy in recovery, pointing to shrinking unemployment and growing business investments.

Kentucky's unemployment rate sank to 6 percent last November, down from an 8.1 percent rate in November 2013. A state economist says the last time Kentucky had such a big decline in joblessness, Ronald Reagan was a month away from winning his second presidential term in 1984.

McConnell says federal regulators have "created a depression in my state" by trying to eliminate coal-fired generation.