Influence Alley

If there is a war on coal, Mike Duncan is the industry's new general. And for this GOP campaign veteran and grandson of two Kentucky coal miners, the fight is personal.

When the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity named Duncan its new president and CEO in September, it was widely seen as a sign that the coal lobby was bringing in the big guns. Duncan plans to combine his decades of campaign experience and vast fundraising
network with a native-son's passion for the cause of coal.

Born in Tennessee, Duncan lives in the coal-mining town of Inez, Ky.--the same town, he'll remind you, where President Johnson launched his war on poverty. Duncan's father has run a general store in McCreary County, one of the poorest parts of Kentucky, for 66 years.

"I know what it's like to sell people kerosene--their fuel of choice to heat or light their home--and what a high percentage of their income they have to pay," he said.

"This is about, how are we going to turn the lights on? I remember my grandparents talking about electricity coming to rural America. They were eternally grateful because Granny didn't have to wash by hand anymore, and Grandpa could read books at night with electricity," Duncan said.

Read more about King Coal's new power player.