[...] his efforts have so far been thwarted by the cultural legacy of tobacco, which along with coal has declined sharply because of a mix of market and political forces while still maintaining its grip on public policy in Kentucky. Banning smoking in public places is still a politically perilous position for most of the state's Republican lawmakers, whose constituents view it as an attack on their personal freedoms. [...] he could not convince a majority of Republican senators to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. The bill still drew opposition from some rural Republicans and Democrats, but it prompted a reluctant "yes" vote from Sen.