(Murray KY, June 21, 2013) - Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes was lead off batter for the evening. She immediately credited West Kentucky voters for electing her the youngest secretary of state in the US and the highest elected woman in state government.

Grimes has achieved several of her goals since her election - helping small business, protecting abuse victims by allowing them to conceal their addresses on the voting rolls, championing voting rights of those on active military duty and giving farmers a tax credit for donating produce to food banks.

Grimes did not tip her hand on whether she will take on Mitch McConnell, Kentucky's senior senator in 2014. She did criticize McConnell for opposing the Violence Against Women Act and legislation supporting equal pay for equal work. She reminded the audience that women make up 53% of the electorate.

Showing that she is acutely aware of partisan attacks that will be coming her way, she answered a question posed in a full page ad in the Paducah Sun newspaper.

“The Paducah Sun ad asks who this woman listens to.” Grimes said.  “This woman listens to West Kentucky.”