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Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) campaigns with U.S. Senate Democratic candidate and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (R) October 15, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky. Win McNamee, Getty Images

Last Updated Oct 15, 2014 9:21 AM EDT

Hillary Clinton's busy midterm campaign schedule carried her to Kentucky on Wednesday, where she headlined a rally in support of Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Democrat taking on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.

Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state, lauded Grimes as a "vigorous, intelligent, determined young woman," saying Kentucky voters have a "stark choice" to make.

"Do you want politics in Washington, in the Congress, to look the same for the next six years? Because more than any other race in the country, this election in Kentucky is a referendum on the future," she said. "It is a chance to say no to the guardians of gridlock and yes to government that actually delivers results for working people."

Clinton repeatedly blamed McConnell for much of the partisanship that has paralyzed Washington during the Obama years, citing the sequester spending cuts and last year's government shutdown.

"Do you really want to see more of that kind of leadership in Washington?" Clinton asked. "If you don't, if you want a different approach, then you know what you must do -- you must send Alison to Washington to get the place in order to deliver for the people of Kentucky."

Grimes repaid the kind words, praising Clinton's record in the Senate and at the State Department. She also noted her longtime ties to the Clintons. "It's friendship," she said. "A woman who has literally known me since I was 14 years old."

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Former President Bill Clinton helps Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in her quest to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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Hillary Clinton helps a "Clinton Democrat" in Kentucky's Senate race