Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford, of Louisville, today targeted opponent and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) for supporting initiatives that would privatize parts of the Social Security program.

In conjunction with the 73rd anniversary of the creation of the Social Security system, Lunsford's campaign released a brief statement using the occasion to criticize their opponent.

"For nearly three-quarters of a century, Social Security has helped provide America's seniors with a safe and secure retirement and helped millions of other Americans who have fallen on hard times," said Lunsford in the statement. "Rather than work to strengthen Social Security, Mitch McConnell has led the charge in Washington to privatize Social Security and reduce the guaranteed benefits our greatest generation has earned. That is wrong."

McConnell has supported efforts to allow workers to establish private personal investment accounts with part of their payroll taxes in lieu of paying into the Social Security system, though critics argue that proposal creates too many risks for a program conceived as retirement safety net - a critique Lunsford seemed to echo today.

"Despite Mitch McConnell's best efforts to dismantle it, Social Security continues to provide much-needed support for our seniors, and many others, and we must do all that we can to strengthen and preserve this vital program," said Lunsford.

"Additionally, we must repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which unfairly impact many of Kentucky's teachers and government pension employees," added Lunsford.

Those two provisions function to lower Social Security benefits for workers (and their spouses) who earned a pension at a job where Social Security taxes were not required to be paid.

The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 73 years ago today.

McConnell's campaign has been contacted for comment.