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Did Running For President Hurt Rand Paul’s Senate Race?

WKMS/John Null

After dropping out of the presidential race, Rand Paul’s political attention is now entirely focused on trying to be reelected to the Senate. He will face two newcomers in the Republican primary and, if he wins there, the survivor of a seven-way Democratic primary. 

Former State Treasurer Jonathan Miller, a Democrat and attorney at Frost Brown Todd, says that Paul’s White House bid effectively opened up the Senate race to a Democratic challenger. “The nature of being out of state and focusing on the concerns of people in Iowa and New Hampshire has hurt his standing in Kentucky.”

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray criticized Senator Rand Paul for not being a “full-time Senator” while he ran for president. The two men will likely face off for Paul’s senate seat this November.

Steve Voss, a University of Kentucky political science professor, says Paul’s presidential run may have helped him more than it hurt him. “What we all saw was him standing shoulder-to-shoulder with famous and powerful, important people and that gave him visibility and helped sustain his name recognition in Kentucky at a time when we weren’t much interested in the senate election."

Paul has $1.4 million in his senate campaign account. Gray hasn’t reported any fundraising numbers yet, but it’s expected that he will be able to supplement donations with his personal wealth. He contributed $800,000 to his first race for mayor and $250,000 to his second run.

Paul was elected to the Senate in 2010, riding a wave of Tea Party support to beat then-Attorney General Jack Conway by eight percentage points.

Over the course of his first term, Paul was recognized for his libertarian and isolationist views on surveillance and foreign policy. But over the course of 2015, Paul’s brand grew out of favor as the threat of terrorism at home and abroad grew.

Ryland Barton is the Managing Editor for Collaboratives for Kentucky Public Radio, a group of public radio stations including WKMS, WFPL in Louisville, WEKU in Richmond and WKYU in Bowling Green. A native of Lexington, Ryland most recently served as the Capitol Reporter for Kentucky Public Radio. He has covered politics and state government for NPR member stations KWBU in Waco and KUT in Austin.
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