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Rand Paul Promotes Compromise As GOP Senate Takeover Chances Dwindle

Whitney Jones

As Election Day nears, it’s becoming less clear who will hold the Senate majority next year. Earlier this year, most pundits were ready to hand over the keys to the U.S. Senate to Kentucky’s senior senator, Mitch McConnell. But now, a GOP takeover looks less likely.

“I know there are four or five seats we think we can pick up, there are two or three we have to hang onto. We might lose one or two of the ones we have to hang onto, but then we might pick up three or four," says Senator Rand Paul.

The GOP needs a net gain of three seats if Mitt Romney wins the presidency. The party needs four seats if President Obama is re-elected. Either way, Paul says Democrats and Republicans are going to have to learn to get along.

“If we get into a majority, I think it’ll be a slim majority," he says. "Which still means we have to figure out how to communicate a little bit, because most things can’t be done without 60 votes. So I foresee even if we have a slight majority, we’ll have to get a few, several Democrats to work with us on issues.”

That would be a change from the gridlock that has plagued the Senate since 2008.

Kenny Colston is the Frankfort Bureau Chief for Kentucky Public Radio (a collaborative effort of public radio stations in Kentucky). Colston has covered Kentucky's Capitol and state government since 2010. He is a Louisville native, and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. When he's not tracking down stories about Kentucky politics, you can often find him watching college sports, particularly football.
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