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Lexington Mayor Jim Gray Challenging Rand Paul For U.S. Senate

Jim Gray for Kentucky / Facebook

Eight Kentucky candidates have filed to run for U.S. Senate including the incumbent and the mayor of the state’s second largest city.  Lexington Mayor Jim Gray filed candidacy papers Tuesday morning, just hours ahead of the deadline.

With family at his side and a room full of cameras and reporters, second term Gray signed his candidacy papers in the Secretary of State’s office.

Gray made some prepared remarks after the filing in the capitol foyer.  He began with comments about growing up in the Glasgow area.  “We grew up where the American dream wasn’t just a dream, but it was a reality,” Gray said. “But regrettably and unfortunately, that reality is not what it used to be for a lot of Kentuckians. The American dream is slipping away.”

Later during a phone interview with WEKU, Gray said he thought about the senatorial race carefully and decided that Kentucky voters needed an alternative to Rand Paul.  Gray’s convinced he can help fix a broken Washington.

Gray, who’s openly gay, was asked if his entrance into the race could help shape attitudes about sexual orientation. Gray said he’s learned in his job that people care about performance and results, and that’s what counts.

In a written statement, Paul’s campaign senior advisor Doug Stafford said the senator has worked to balance the budget, has fought the president’s coal and health care policies, and returned over $2 million to the treasury from his office. 

Stu Johnson is a reporter/producer at WEKU in Lexington, Kentucky.
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