Republican Senator and presidential hopeful Rand Paul could face a challenger in Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. The registered Democrat ended weeks of speculation Thursday.
Sensing vulnerability as the libertarian favorite works to balance time between his Senate duties and a struggling presidential campaign, Democrats have long been on the hunt for a credible candidate to go toe-to-toe with Paul. This week, Gray made it official – he may be in the market.
"I've been encouraged to consider this race and that's exactly what I'm doing," he tells WUKY. "No commitments to this point, but I've always believed that serving in elected office has been a great blessing for me. It's had rich rewards and I think a lot of folks are tired of the gridlock in Washington and would like to see changes."
Elected Lexington’s first openly-gay mayor in 2010, Gray easily won reelection in 2014 and says his political and business experience could help him deliver on economic opportunity for the Commonwealth.
Paul spokesperson Kelsey Cooper tells the Lexington Herald-Leader the junior senator “looks forward to putting his record and ideas up against anyone.”
