It was the Democrat’s way of ensuring the re-election of a spineless Republican co-conspirator.
Do you really think a primary challenger can get votes criticizing the pork that “brought jobs to our community” ?
The reason politicians fight for federal pork dollars is that it buys them re-election from people who vote based only on their own immediate interests.
Even without the pork dam, people in KY still believe in Mitch. They know little of his voting record and support the status quo.