Tea Party-backed candidate Rand Paul defeated Secretary of State Trey Grayson in Tuesday’s Republican primary, while the Democratic victor was state Attorney General Jack Conway. Paul, the son of 2008 libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul, won easily, garnering about 59% of the vote to Grayson’s 39%. The democratic primary, on the other hand, was a close race, with Conway garnering 44% and his opponent Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo having 43%.
Since Trey Grayson was recruited to run and backed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Paul’s victory represents not only a significant victory for the growing Tea Party movement but also voters’ rejection of a hand-picked GOP candidate.
ConservaChick provides a complete video of Paul’s acceptance speech.
Conservative Edge notes its own association with Paul and the Tea Party movement, in addition to pointing out a humorous line from a BBC article covering the elections:
“In truth, he (Trey) has the look of a candidate who fears that the energy surrounding Mr Paul is going to sweep him away.”
Lexington Herald-Leader columnist Tom Eblen describes the opinions of various Lexington voters, especially in regard to Rand Paul.
Given the close results of the race, Blue Grass Politics reports, Mongiardo announced his intention to seek a recanvass of the primary results. Compared to Conway, Mongiardo is generally seen as the more conservative candidate. The Examiner’s interview with Mongiardo on various issues, including healthcare, privacy rights, immigration, and gun control, is available here.
Barefoot and Progressive discusses party unity and her opinion that a wider disparity between Grayson and Paul supporters exists than that between Mongiardo and Conway fans. Her thoughts are supported by other Democrats’ statements, including those made by former governor Paul Patton and State Auditor Crit Luallen.
(Paul’s campaign manager, David Adams, on the other hand, predicts united support for Paul on behalf of the GOP.)
Blue in the Bluegrass has an embedded video of Conway’s acceptance speech.
