Senate candidate Amy McGrath (photo from AFL-CIO website

As expected, the Kentucky State AFL-CIO endorsed Democrat Amy McGrath for the U.S. Senate on Thursday.

"She has pledged her support for working people and unions and her opponent has spent his entire career in Washington trying to destroy the labor movement," said Bill Londrigan, state AFL-CIO president.

Acting as the state COPE Committee, the state Executive Board--meeting via teleconferencing--unanimously threw the federation's support behind McGrath, a former Marine jet pilot who wants Republican Mitch McConnell's job.

"It is an honor to once again have the support of hardworking men and women of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO," McGrath said. "Their families, along with every Kentuckian, deserve to have a true voice in Washington, D.C., who will represent them instead of the special-interests and big corporations who continue to buy off Mitch McConnell."

Added the candidate: The core principles and hard work of our unions helped build this great nation, and together we will win this race and lay a stronger foundation for Kentucky and our country to excel in a 21st century. Working as one, we will finally drain the swamp and restore workers' rights."

The Senate majority leader, McConnell was first elected in 1984. He has voted the union position legislation just 12 percent of the time, according to the AFL-CIO's latest Legislative Scorecard.

"I'll happily put the 89 combat missions I flew as a Marine up against the 35 years Mitch has spent splashing around in the DC swamp," McGrath also said.

The state AFL-CIO also backed McGrath in her unsuccessful 2018 bid to unseat Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, in the Sixth Congressional District. The federation endorsed Lexington Democrat Josh Hicks--also a Marine veteran--who is challenging Barr this year.