Eleven weeks after Democrats said “no” to Senate hopeful Dan Mongiardo, the vanquished candidate on Wednesday endorsed the victor, Attorney General Jack Conway.

It was done via news release — one from Mongiardo making the announcement, then one from Conway praising the lieutenant governor as “a leader who has always had the courage to stand up for his convictions — from protecting coal miners and their families to improving health care and creating jobs in rural Kentucky.”

The reference to miners allowed the Conway campaign to overlay a note of support for safety standards in the coalfields.

His general election opponent, Republican Rand Paul, has been taking a bit of heat for having said earlier this year: “The bottom line is, I’m not an expert, so don’t give me the power in Washington to be making [mining] rules. … You live here, and you have to work in the mines. You’d try to make good rules to protect your people here. If you don’t, I’m thinking that no one will apply for those jobs.”