Democratic mayor to challenge GOP’s Rand Paul in Senate race

[jpak]

Source: Washington Post

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington Mayor Jim Gray filed to run for Rand Paul’s U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, giving Paul a viable challenger and complicating his bid for re-election as he lags in the polls in his presidential campaign.

Gray, the wealthy former CEO of a construction company, made history in 2010 when he was elected Kentucky’s first openly gay mayor. Since then, he has wrangled the city’s pension funds and signed an ordinance raising the local minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

But his candidacy comes at a time when Republicans have solidified their political power in Kentucky, holding all but one of the state’s congressional seats and four of the six statewide constitutional offices, including governor.

“There is no question that it’s a tough race,” Gray told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “But I think that the people in Kentucky are looking for an alternative.”

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-mayor-to-challenge-gops-rand-paul-in-senate-race/2016/01/26/29df91a6-c440-11e5-b933-31c93021392a_story.html

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Buh Bye Rand!

[misterhighwasted]

1. I'll send him a donation.

#NOMOREPAULS

[Renew Deal]

2. Glad somebody is

[forest444]

3. I'd like to believe that Mayor Gray has a chance

But if they could rig the election if favor of tea bag Bevin while Beshear was still governor, imagine what they'll do now that Bevin is the governor.

[iandhr]

4. Does he have a shot?

[KamaAina]

6. The question is, does he have a rug?

We know Rand does.

[TacoD]

5. Wish Grassley had a good challenger here in IA (nt)

[forest444]

9. The fact that he's a Rapepublican notwithstanding, Grassley always gave me the creeps.

One of those people who, if the premise in John Carpenter's They Live were ever proven true, would be among the first I'd suspect of being a sinister humanoid (second only to Rick Scott).

Is Chet Culver still viable? He seemed to have a promising future in Iowa politics until the tea bag wave in 2010.

[brooklynite]

7. Good enough for the Sanders revolution?

[valerief]

8. I wish him luck! nt

[concreteblue]

10. Lexington Native here...

Jim Gray has been an excellent Mayor by all accounts. Scandal free and has pulled off some great events. There is the Centre Pointe Hole, but not sure how much responsibility he ho;ds as the Webbs are longtime central KY power brokers. I wish him success.