HINDMAN — Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul took harsh digs at President Barack Obama while mining for votes in Kentucky coalfields Saturday, saying busybody regulators backed by the president are stifling the coal sector.

Paul vowed to challenge Obama "every step of the way" if elected in November, seeking to capitalize on a political environment where flocks of voters have never warmed to the Democratic president.

The Tea Party-backed Paul never mentioned his Democratic opponent, Jack Conway, in his speech at a coal appreciation event in Knott County, instead reserving his attacks for Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and federal environmental regulators.