Lexington, KY mayor launches Senate bid to unseat Rand Paul
The mayor of Lexington, Kentucky on Tuesday filed paperwork to run for U.S. Senate as a Democrat and unseat incumbent Sen. Rand Paul, who's also running for the GOP presidential nomination.
Jim Gray, 62, has served as Lexington's mayor for the last five years and launched his campaign on the day of his state's filing deadline.
"Washington is busy tearing each other down. I want to change that," Gray said in a video launching his Senate bid. "That's why I want to be your U.S. senator."
As mayor, Gray said he has changed a deficit into a surplus, saved taxpayers millions of dollars and created jobs faster than the state average.
"Sen. Paul confuses talking with getting results," he said. "As your senator, I won't just talk, I'll listen."
Here's the video:
Before he became mayor, Gray served as vice mayor from 2006 to 2010 and previous worked as the chairman and CEO of Gray Construction, a construction company.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) on Tuesday criticized Gray for filing to run at the last minute and suggested that the outcome of the race wouldn't be in his favor.
"As Alison Lundergan Grimes, Jack Conway, and Adam Edelen can all attest, any statewide candidate who puts a 'D' next to his or her name has already suffered irreparable damage in the Bluegrass State," NRSC spokesman Greg Blair said. "Like those who came before him, Jim Gray will be sunk by Obamacare, the war on coal, and the rest of Barack Obama's toxic agenda."
Paul, meanwhile, is running for his second term in the Senate and for president simultaneously.
The Kentucky Republican Party decided in August that Paul could run for both offices at the same time. Kentucky state law prohibits a candidate's name from appearing on the same ballot twice, but the party decided to hold the presidential caucuses on March 5 and the state's other primary elections on May 17.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, four other people are seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat as well as two Republicans.