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With 50 days until the election, candidates across the country are beginning to spell out their positions on important issues. One of the central issues this elections has been American-made, coal-fueled electricity.

As part of a series leading up to the election, we鈥檙e asking: which candidates are speaking up in support of coal? This week, we鈥檙e taking a look at Democrats.

Former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp, now a Democratic senate candidate in North Dakota鈥攁s well a former EPA attorney鈥攚eighed in on the current administration鈥檚 regulatory regime聽during a debate last week:

We need every energy source we have and this is an area I have disagreements with the administration. They walked away from coal鈥�

North Carolina Rep. Larry Kissell (D)聽spoke to us聽during the Democratic National Convention:

We need American jobs, and coal is an American product. Once again, it can give us that energy independence so we鈥檝e got to make sure we use that 鈥� and in using that, we will create jobs.

And Kansas Democratic National Convention Delegate聽Jim Oberbeck聽knows exactly how important coal is to his state:

We get 70 percent of our electricity from coal where we live鈥�it鈥檚 really important鈥�Coal provides a lot of jobs for a lot of people in this country, and that鈥檚 what we need right now, is jobs.

Coal use and affordable electricity isn鈥檛 just a bipartisan cause, it鈥檚 the backbone of America鈥檚 electricity infrastructure. Coal keeps energy costs down for families and businesses. As聽President Barack Obama聽said during his convention speech last week: 鈥淲e鈥檙e offering a better path 鈥� a future we where keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal.鈥� That鈥檚 a path that everyone can agree on, and a path we need to follow through on.