Senator Rand Paul has been facing off with Lexington, Kentucky Mayor Jim Gray for his Kentucky Senate seat. The difference between the two candidates is enormous. The son of former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, Senator Paul has the libertarian influence while maintaining more conservative positions. He has opposed war, encroachments upon constitutional rights, and has been a firm opponent of big government.
Democratic challenger Mayor Gray is the complete opposite.
Previously, Mayor Gray has criticized the incumbent Republican for his support of civil liberties and opposition to fearmongering politics. He has also called for an increase of military spending, attacking Senator Paul for proposing more responsible defense spending.
The big question will be whether or not Kentucky will side with freedom in Senator Paul or with big government in Mayor Gray.
On August 4th, a new political poll dropped in Kentucky that surveyed the presidential election, general political positions and affiliations, as well as the United States Senate race. Among those surveyed, 52% of respondents identified Democrat and 39% Republican, while 7% are not a member of either party and 2% are unsure.
Given these statistics, over half of those polled being Democrats should hypothetically give an edge to Mayor Gray.
But the poll numbers paint an even more interesting picture, one of a less partisan voting bloc than what Americans are used to. While more than half of those surveyed are Democrats, Senator Rand Paul is actually polling ahead of Mayor Gray with a 12-point lead.
The reason behind this could be related to a number of points. First, the survey also shows that the respondents in the survey appear more conservative despite being Democrat. The respondents are more favorable to Republican nominee Donald Trump over his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, generally support the proposed border wall, and more often vote for Republican candidates.
It also can be reflective of Mayor Gray’s views as well.
Democrats generally tend to be opposed to war and are concerned about civil liberties. Individuals like Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden remain behind bars or in exile outside of the country because they exposed abuses of the system. Those who have regularly worked to save America from descent into tyranny are mistreated and even driven away. Senator Paul himself has taken a stand against the surveillance state, something Snowden exposed massively before fleeing the country.
On the other hand, the Constitution is not a concern to Mayor Gray. He has been a strong advocate for depriving Americans of constitutional rights because they appear on a government watchlist, and has even criticized Senator Paul for supporting due process. Mayor Gray believes that as soon as an individual is merely suspected of terrorist connections — without being found guilty in a court of law — they should be treated like a criminal.
Though the election still remains months away, it is refreshing to hear that Kentucky voters not only seem to embrace freedom, but are rejecting the big government platform that Mayor Jim Gray is running on. Mayor Gray falls behind as he pushes his campaign of fear, failing to sell voters on the need for more war, higher spending, and bigger government. If this trend continues, Senator Rand Paul should have no problem winning re-election in November.
