A political group backed by Charles and David Koch is turning its sights on Ohio's down-ballot race by attacking Democratic Senate contender Ted Strickland's record on coal.

The group Freedom Partners Action Fund on Wednesday launched a $1 million TV ad campaign to tie Strickland to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's remarks about putting coal miners out of work.

The ad campaign is meant to prop up Republican incumbent Sen. Rob Portman as a defender of Ohio's coal jobs. Portman is facing a tough re-election race in the Buckeye State against Strickland, who was the state's governor before Republican John Kasich.

"The two new ads highlight Ted Strickland's failed energy policies that put the interests of campaign donors over the well-being of coal miners," the group said.

"From sending millions of tax dollars to political allies while governor to supporting President Obama's anti-coal regulations after leaving office, Strickland's decisions have repeatedly left Ohioans holding the bag — and his policies as a U.S. senator would hurt Ohio families even more," the group stated.

The first ad features a coal miner named Josh who fears Strickland's policies will leave him jobless.

"Any day I can come in and they tell me to go home," Josh says in the first ad. "It's happened to a lot of people around here. I don't think you can trust Ted Strickland to stand up for coal."

The ad then switches to Clinton, tying her statements from an Ohio town hall meeting in the spring to Strickland. It quotes Clinton, who said she would "put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business" if elected president, and adds that Strickland supports her policies.

The second ad highlights Strickland's record as governor, giving millions of tax dollars to a company supporting green jobs as a campaign favor, while raising fees and taxes on Ohio's working class who suffered through the aftermath of the recession.

The company was supposed to hire 450 workers, the ad's narrator says. But that "never happened."

"Today, it's closed. Ohio taxpayers? They lost millions. Ted Strickland: Good for insiders, bad for Ohio," the narrator said.

Freedom Partners spokesman Bill Riggs said "whether it's giving handouts to special interests or supporting regulations that would decimate coal communities, Ted Strickland's policies have always tilted the scales against Ohio.

"Strickland got a high-paying job at an anti-coal group, his political allies got subsidies, and Ohioans were left holding the bag."