Lexington Mayor Says He’s Prepared to Take On Paul in Senate Race

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray says he’s fully prepared to take on incumbent Rand Paul in the fall race for U.S. Senate.  Gray held a victory party in downtown Lexington last night after besting six other candidates in the Democratic primary.

Jim Gray, in his second term, as mayor of the state’s second largest city, told supporters he worked with Democrats and Republicans at City Hall to turn a deficit into a surplus. The construction company exec-turned politician says the same approach can work in Washington.

Gray told reporters he knows the task of taking on Republican Senator Rand Paul will be difficult. “No illusions about being a challenging race, but I’ve got the experience and I’ve got the record.  And that experience is in the private sector and building a company, a family business, and then taking that into the public sector and running a city,” Gray said.

He took swipes at his incumbent opponent, including a clear statement on his political aspirations, “Now you have got my word, I am never running for president.”

After his formal speech, the City Hall veteran was asked if he would need to do some catching up on certain Washington topics like foreign affairs. “Learning about these issues. That’s not gonna be too difficult. I mean, we’re quick studies. We can get there,” he said.

Like Gray, Rand Paul easily won his primary race over two challengers for the GOP nomination.