Two weeks ahead of Kentucky’s presidential primary, volunteers supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are traveling through western Kentucky to tell her story to rural voters.

Sam Roberts and June O’Neill, residents of upstate New York, and Sheila Menz from Clinton’s office are part of the group Travelers for Hillary, which is made up of about 60 farmers, manufacturers, rural developers, mayors, union workers and wine growers from rural New York state.

“We look at this as (Clinton) is applying for a job and we’re her references,” said Roberts, a 30-year employee of General Motors in Massena, N.Y., and leader of the local United Auto Workers union.

Monday, the group visited Elizabethtown, Glasgow and Bowling Green and today they will make stops in Madisonville, Princeton, Hopkinsville, Murray and Mayfield.

Along the way they have talked with local media, Democratic leaders and the general public at informal gatherings, according to Menz.

Travelers for Hillary has covered about 10,000 miles of ground in eight states, telling stories of Clinton’s impact on rural communities.

O’Neill, former county administrator for St. Lawrence County along the Canadian border, said she came to support Clinton during her initial Senate campaign in 2000.

“She’s a convener and people don’t see that side of her,” O’Neill said. “My county still has more Republicans than Democrats, and I would dare say that most of the people working with her there aren’t Democrats and didn’t vote for her the first time around (for Senate in 2000).”

In looking to connect with rural voters in Kentucky, the Travelers group has talked about legislation Clinton has worked on to help her constituents in upstate New York, an economically depressed area struggling to transition from an industrial economy.

O’Neill cited the Rural Broadband Initiative to bring broadband Internet access to isolated areas, as well as Clinton’s advocacy for the Farm Bill and her creation of the Farm-to-Fork Program connecting local farmers with food distributors and restaurants throughout the state.