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Wikipedia

Rand Paul

January 09, 2023

Not to be confused with Ron Paul or Paul Rand.
"Senator Paul" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Paul (disambiguation).

Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American physician and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he is a son of former three-time presidential candidate and 12-term U.S. representative from Texas, Ron Paul. Paul describes himself as a constitutional conservative and supporter of the Tea Party movement.

Rand Paul
Paul in 2011
United States Senator
from Kentucky
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
Serving with Mitch McConnell
Preceded byJim Bunning
Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byRob Portman
Ranking Member of the
Senate Small Business Committee
In office
February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byBen Cardin
Succeeded byTBD
Personal details
Born
Randal Howard Paul

(1963-01-07) January 7, 1963 (age 60)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 1990)​
Children3
Parent(s)Ron Paul
Carol Wells
EducationBaylor University
Duke University (MD)
Signature
WebsiteSenate website

Paul attended Baylor University and is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine. Paul was a practicing medical doctor (ophthalmology) in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1993 until his election to the Senate in 2010. He was re-elected to a second term in 2016, and won a third term in 2022.[2]

Paul was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He ended his campaign in February 2016 after finishing in fifth place during the Iowa caucuses. While he initially opposed candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries, he supported Trump following his nomination and became one of his top supporters in the U.S. Senate during and after his presidency.[3]

Early life

Randal Howard Paul was born on January 7, 1963, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Carol (née Wells) and Ron Paul, who is also a politician and physician. The middle child of five, his siblings are Ronald "Ronnie" Paul Jr., Lori Paul Pyeatt, Robert Paul, and Joy Paul-LeBlanc.[4]

Paul was baptized in the Episcopal Church[5] and identified as a practicing Christian as a teenager.[6]

Despite his father's libertarian views and strong support for individual rights,[6][7] the novelist Ayn Rand was not the inspiration for his first name. Growing up, he went by "Randy",[8] but his wife shortened it to "Rand."[9][10]

The Paul family moved to Lake Jackson, Texas in 1968,[11] where he was raised[12][13] and where his father began a medical practice and for a period of time was the only obstetrician in Brazoria County.[14][11]

When Rand was 13, his father Ron Paul was elected to the United States House of Representatives.[15] That same year, Paul attended the 1976 Republican National Convention, where his father headed Ronald Reagan's Texas delegation.[16] The younger Paul spent several summer vacations interning in his father's congressional office.[17] In his teenage years, Paul studied the Austrian economists that his father respected, as well as the writings of Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand.[8] Paul went to Brazoswood High School and was on the swimming team and played defensive back on the football team.[6][12]

Paul attended Baylor University from fall 1981 to summer 1984 and was enrolled in the honors program. During the time he spent at Baylor, he completed his pre-med requirements in two and a half years,[18] was involved in the swim team and the Young Conservatives of Texas and was a member of a tongue-in-cheek secret organization, the NoZe Brotherhood, known for its irreverent humor.[19] He regularly contributed to The Baylor Lariat student newspaper.[16] Paul left Baylor without completing his baccalaureate degree,[18] when he was accepted into his father's alma mater, the Duke University School of Medicine, which, at the time, did not require an undergraduate degree for admission to its graduate school. He earned an M.D. degree in 1988 and completed his residency in 1993.[20]

Medical career

After completing his residency in ophthalmology, Paul moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he has been an "active, licensed physician" since 1993.[21][22] He worked for Downing McPeak Vision Centers for five years. In 1998, he joined a private medical group practice, the Graves Gilbert Clinic, in Bowling Green, for 10 years. In 2008, Paul formed his own private practice across the street from John Downing, his former employer at Downing McPeak.[23] After his election to the U.S. Senate, he merged his practice with Downing's medical practice.[24]

Paul has faced two malpractice lawsuits between 1993 and 2010; he was cleared in one case while the other was settled for $50,000.[23] His medical work has been praised by Downing and he has medical privileges at two Bowling Green hospitals.[23] In April 2020, after recovering from COVID-19, Paul began volunteering at a hospital in Bowling Green, assisting them in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky.[25]

Paul specializes in cataract and glaucoma surgeries, LASIK procedures, and corneal transplants.[9] As a member of the Bowling Green Noon Lions Club, Paul founded the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic in 2009 to help provide eye surgery and exams for those who cannot afford to pay.[26] Paul won the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services from the Lions Club International Foundation for his work establishing the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic.[27]

National Board of Ophthalmology

In 1995, Paul was certified to practice by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO).[28] Three years earlier, the ABO had changed its certification program, which previously awarded lifetime certifications, and required ophthalmologists to recertify every 10 years, while those who had already been given lifetime certification were not required to recertify. Paul felt this was unfair and campaigned to have all ophthalmologists recertify every ten years.

In 1999, he incorporated the National Board of Ophthalmology (NBO) to offer an alternative certification system, at a cost substantially lower than that of the ABO.[29][30][31] Board members were Paul, his wife, and his father-in-law.[32] His father-in-law, the board's secretary, stated "I never did go to any meetings ... There was really nothing involved. It was more just a title than anything else, for me".[29] By Paul's estimate, about 50 or 60 doctors were certified by the NBO.[29] The NBO was not accepted as an accrediting entity by organizations such as the American Board of Medical Specialties, and its certification was considered invalid by many hospitals and insurance companies. Paul did not file the required paperwork with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office for the NBO's renewal to operate in 2000. He recreated the board in 2005, but it was again dissolved in 2011.[33]

Paul maintained his own ABO certification from 1995 to 2005. Specialty certification does not affect physician licensure, and Paul's medical license has been valid continuously, with no board actions, since June 1993.[34]

Political activism

Paul was head of the local chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas during his time at Baylor University.[16] In 1984, Paul took a semester off to aid his father's primary challenge to Republican Senate candidate Phil Gramm.[16]

While attending Duke University School of Medicine, Paul volunteered for his father's 1988 Libertarian presidential campaign.[17]

In response to President Bush's breaking his election promise to not raise taxes, Paul founded the North Carolina Taxpayers Union in 1991.[17] In 1994, Paul founded the anti-tax organization Kentucky Taxpayers United (KTU), and was chair of the organization from its inception. He has often cited his involvement with KTU as the foundation of his involvement with state politics.[35] The group[36][37] examined Kentucky legislators' records on taxation and spending and encouraged politicians to publicly pledge to vote uniformly against tax increases.[38][39]

Paul managed his father's successful 1996 congressional campaign, in which the elder Paul returned to the House after a twelve-year absence. The elder Paul defeated incumbent Democrat-turned-Republican Greg Laughlin in the Republican primary, despite Laughlin's support from the NRCC and Republican leaders such as Newt Gingrich and George W. Bush.[16]

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2010 that, although Paul had told a Kentucky television audience as recently as September 2009 that KTU published ratings each year on state legislators' tax positions and that "we've done that for about 15 years", the group had stopped issuing its ratings and report cards after 2002 and had been legally dissolved by the state in 2000 after failing to file registration documents.[35]

Paul spoke on his father's behalf when his father was campaigning for office,[40] including throughout the elder Paul's run in the 2008 presidential election, during which Rand campaigned door-to-door in New Hampshire[41] and spoke in Boston at a fundraising rally for his father on the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.[42]

In February 2014, Paul joined the Tea Party-affiliated conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks in filing a class-action lawsuit charging that the federal government's bulk collection of Americans' phone records metadata is a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.[43][44][45] Commenting on the lawsuit at a press conference, Paul said, "I'm not against the NSA, I'm not against spying, I'm not against looking at phone records... I just want you to go to a judge, have an individual's name and [get] a warrant. That's what the Fourth Amendment says."[43] He also said there was no evidence the surveillance of phone metadata had stopped terrorism.[43] Critics, including Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz[46] and Steven Aftergood, the director of the American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy,[45] called the lawsuit a political "stunt". Paul's political campaign organization said that the names of members of the public who went to Paul's websites and signed on as potential class-action participants would be available in the organization's database for future campaign use.[43][47]

On the announcement of the filing of the lawsuit, Mattie Fein, the spokeswoman for and former wife of attorney Bruce Fein, complained that Fein's intellectual contribution to the lawsuit had been stolen and that he had not been properly paid for his work.[48] Paul's representatives denied the charge, and Fein issued a statement saying that Mattie Fein had not been authorized to speak for him on the matter and that he had in fact been paid for his work on the lawsuit.[48]

Paul is co-author of a book entitled The Tea Party Goes to Washington (2011)[49][50] and also the author of Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds (2012).[51] Paul was included in Time magazine's world's 100 most influential people, for 2013 and 2014.[52][53] He is also a contributor to Time magazine.[54]

Election to U.S. Senate

Main article: 2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky

Primary campaign

 
Paul speaking at a Tea Party rally in Hawesville, Kentucky, on November 21, 2009.

At the beginning of 2009, there was movement by political supporters of his father to draft Paul in a bid to replace beleaguered Republican Kentucky senator Jim Bunning. Paul's potential candidacy was discussed in the Los Angeles Times[55] and locally in the Kentucky press.[56] Paul's father said, "Should Senator Bunning decide not to run, I think Rand would make a great U.S. Senator."[57] On April 15, 2009, Paul gave his first political speech as a potential candidate at a Tea Party rally held in his town of Bowling Green, Kentucky, where more than 700 people had gathered in support of the Tea Party movement.The Tea Party Goes to Washington. Nashville: Center Street. 2011.

On May 1, 2009, Paul said that if Bunning, whose fundraising in 2009 matched his poor numbers in opinion polling for the 2010 election,[58] declined to seek a third term, he would almost certainly run in the Republican Party primary to succeed him,[59] and formed an exploratory committee soon after, while still promising to stay out of the race if Bunning ultimately decided to run for reelection. Paul made this announcement on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, though a Kentucky news site first broke the news.[60]

On July 28, 2009, Bunning announced that he would not run for reelection in the face of insufficient fundraising. The announcement left only Paul and Secretary of State Trey Grayson as the remaining candidates for the Republican nomination,[61] with Paul announcing on August 5, 2009, that he would officially run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican. The announcement was made through a series of national TV events, radio, and other programs, as well as newspapers in Kentucky.[62][63][64]

On August 20, 2009, Paul's supporters planned a moneybomb to kick off his campaign. The official campaign took in $433,509 in 24 hours. His website reported that this set a new record in Kentucky's political fundraising history in a 24-hour period.[65] A second "moneybomb" was held on September 23, 2009, to counter a D.C. fundraiser being held for primary opponent Trey Grayson, by 23 Republican United States Senators.[66] The theme was a UFC "fight" between "We the People" and the "D.C. Insiders".[67] Later in the campaign, Paul claimed his pledge to not take money from lobbyists and senators who had voted for the bailout was only a "primary pledge";[68] he subsequently held a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., with the same senators who had been the target of the September 23, 2009, "moneybomb". Paul ended up raising some $3 million during the primary period. Paul's fundraising was aided by his father's network of supporters.[16]

Although Grayson was considered the frontrunner in July 2009,[69] Paul found success characterizing Grayson as a "career politician" and challenging Grayson's conservatism. Paul ran an ad in February that made an issue out of Grayson's September 2008 admission that he voted for Bill Clinton when he was 20 years old.[70] James Dobson, a Christian evangelical figure, endorsed Grayson on April 26 based on the advice of what Dobson described as "senior members of the GOP", but on May 3 the Paul campaign announced that Dobson had changed his endorsement to Paul[71] after Paul and some Paul supporters had lobbied Dobson insisting on Paul's social conservative bona fides.[72]

On May 18, Paul won the Republican Senatorial primary by a 23% margin,[73][74] meaning he would face the Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, in the November 2 general election.[75]

General campaign

 
Paul greeting supporters at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 1, 2010.

In the 2010 general election, Paul faced Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway. The campaign attracted $8.5 million in contributions from outside groups, of which $6 million was spent to help Paul and $2.5 million to help Conway. This money influx was in addition to the money spent by the candidates themselves: $6 million by Paul and $4.7 million by Conway.[76][77]

On June 28, 2010, Paul supporters held their first post-primary online fundraising drive, this time promoted as a "money blast".[78][79]

Paul's campaign got off to a rough start after his comments on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stirred controversy.[80] Paul stated that he favored 9 out of 10 titles of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but that had he been a senator during the 1960s, he would have raised some questions on the constitutionality of Title II of the Act.[81] Paul said that he abhors racism, and that he would have marched with Martin Luther King Jr. to repeal Jim Crow laws. He later released a statement declaring that he would have voted for the Act and stated "unequivocally ... that I will not support any efforts to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964".[82][83] Later he generated more controversy by characterizing statements made by Obama Administration officials regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup as sounding "un-American".[84]

Paul defeated Conway in the general election with 56% of the vote to 44% for Conway.

U.S. Senate

112th Congress (2011–2013)

 
Paul being sworn in as a senator by Vice President Joe Biden, along with his family, in the Old Senate Chamber in the U.S. Capitol, January 2011.
 
Paul campaigning with his father, Ron Paul, for his 2012 presidential campaign in Waterloo, Iowa, on August 10, 2011.

Paul was sworn in on January 5, 2011, along with his father, who was simultaneously in the House of Representatives.[85]

Paul was assigned to be on the Energy and Natural Resources, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Small Business committees.[86] Paul also formed the Senate Tea Party Caucus with Jim DeMint and Mike Lee as its inaugural members.[87] His first legislative proposal was to cut $500 billion from federal spending in one year. This proposal included cutting the Department of Education by 83 percent and the United States Department of Homeland Security by 43 percent, as well as folding the Department of Energy into the Department of Defense and eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Seven independent agencies would be eliminated and food stamps would be cut by 30 percent. Under Paul's proposal, defense spending would be reduced by 6.5 percent and international aid would be eliminated.[88][89][90] He later proposed a five-year budget plan intended to balance the budget.[91]

In February, Paul was one of two Republicans to vote against extending three key provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act (roving wiretaps, searches of business records, and conducting surveillance of "lone wolves" — individuals not linked to terrorist groups).[92][93]

On March 2, Paul was one of nine senators to vote against a stopgap bill that cut $4 billion from the budget and would temporarily prevent a government shutdown, saying that it did not cut enough from the budget.[94] One week later, he voted against the Democratic and Republican budget proposals to keep funding the federal government, saying that both bills did not cut enough spending. Both bills failed to pass the Senate. He later voted against stopgap measures on March 17 and April 8, both of which passed the senate.[95][96]

On April 14, he was one of 19 senators to vote against a budget that cut $38.5 billion from the budget and funded the government for the remainder of the fiscal year.[97]

Paul voiced opposition to U.S. intervention in the Libyan Civil War and has criticized President Barack Obama for not gaining congressional consent for Operation Odyssey Dawn.[98][99] During the debt ceiling crisis, the Senator stated that he would only support raising the debt ceiling if a balanced budget amendment was enacted.[100] Paul was a supporter of the Cut, Cap and Balance Act, which was tabled by Democratic opposition.[101] On August 3, Paul voted against a bill that would raise the debt ceiling.[102]

On September 7, Paul called for a vote of no confidence in United States Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner.[103] Later that month, Paul blocked legislation that would strengthen safety rules for oil and gas pipelines, because, he stated, the bill was not strong enough.[104] In October, Paul blocked a bill that would provide $36 million in benefits for elderly and disabled refugees, saying that he was concerned that it could be used to aid domestic terrorists. This was in response to two alleged terrorists who came to the United States through a refugee program and were receiving welfare benefits when they were arrested in 2011 in Paul's hometown of Bowling Green.[105] Paul lifted his hold on the bill after Democratic leaders promised to hold a Congressional hearing into how individuals are selected for refugee status and request an investigation on how the two suspects were admitted in the country through a refugee program.[106]

In June 2012, Paul endorsed Mitt Romney after it became apparent that he would be the Republican nominee for the 2012 presidential election.[107] However, he was later vocal about his disagreements with Romney on a number of policies.[108]

113th Congress (2013–2015)

For the 113th Congress, Paul was added to the Foreign Relations committee and retained his spot on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Small Business committees.[109]

On March 6–7, 2013, Paul engaged in a filibuster to delay voting on the nomination of John O. Brennan as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Paul questioned the Obama administration's use of drones and the stated legal justification for their potential use within the United States. Paul held the floor for 12 hours and 52 minutes.[110] He ceded to several Republican senators and Democratic senator, Ron Wyden, who generally also questioned drone usage.[111][112] Paul said his purpose was to challenge drone policy in general and specifically as it related to noncombatants on U.S. soil. He requested a pledge from the Administration that noncombatants would not be targeted on U.S. soil.[113] Attorney General Eric Holder responded that the President is not authorized to deploy extrajudicial punishment without due process, against non-combatant citizens. Press Secretary Jay Carney read Holder's letter, indicating president Obama's support, "The president has not and would not use drone strikes against American citizens on American soil"[114] Press Paul answered that he was "quite happy" with the response.[115] The filibuster was ended with a cloture vote of 81 to 16, and Brennan was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 63 to 34.[116]

 
Paul speaking during filibuster on the Senate floor on March 6, 2013.

In March 2013, Paul, with Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, threatened another filibuster, this one opposing any legislative proposals to expand federal gun control measures.[117] The filibuster was attempted on April 11, 2013, but was dismissed by cloture, in a 68–31 vote.[118] Also in March 2013, Paul endorsed fellow Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's 2014 re-election campaign.[119] McConnell had previously hired Paul's 2010 campaign manager, Jesse Benton, as his own campaign manager.[120] Paul's endorsement was seen as a major win for McConnell in avoiding a challenge in the Republican primary.[119]

In response to Detroit's declaration of bankruptcy, Paul stated he would not allow the government to attempt to bail out Detroit. In a phone interview with Breitbart News on July 19, 2013, Paul said, "I basically say he is bailing them out over my dead body because we don't have any money in Washington." Paul said he thought a federal bailout would send the wrong message to other cities with financial problems.[121]

In September, Paul stated that the United States should avoid military intervention in the ongoing Syrian Civil War.[122] In an op-ed, Paul disputed the Obama administration's claims that the threat of military force caused Syria's government to consider turning over its chemical weapons, instead arguing that the opposition to military action in Syria, and the delay that it caused, led to diplomatic progress.[123]

In October 2013, Paul was the subject of some controversy when it was discovered that he had plagiarized from Wikipedia part of a speech in support of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli. Referencing the movie Gattaca, Paul quoted almost verbatim from the Wikipedia article about the film without citing the source.[124][125][126] Evidence soon surfaced that Paul had copied sentences in a number of his other speeches nearly verbatim from other authors without giving credit to the original sources,[127][128] including in the speech he had given as the Tea Party rebuttal to the president's 2013 State of the Union Address. In addition, a three-page-long passage of Paul's book Government Bullies was taken directly from an article by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation.[129][130] When it became apparent that Paul's op-ed in The Washington Times on mandatory minimums and related testimony he had given before the Senate Judiciary Committee both contained material that was virtually identical to an article that had been published by another author in The Week a few days earlier,[131] The Washington Times said that the newspaper would no longer publish the weekly column Paul had been contributing to the paper.[132] After a week of almost daily news reports of new allegations of plagiarism, Paul said that he was being held to an "unfair standard", but would restructure his office in order to prevent mistakes in the future, if that would be what it would take "to make people leave me the hell alone."[133]

In response to political turmoil in Ukraine in early 2014, Paul initially said that the United States should remain mindful of the fact that although the Cold War is over, Russia remains a military power with long-range nuclear missiles. He said that the United States should try to maintain a "respectful relationship with Russia" and avoid taking actions that the Russians might view as a provocation, such as seeking to have Ukraine join NATO or otherwise interfering in Russia's relationship with Ukraine.[134]

Two weeks later, after the Russian parliament authorized the use of military force in Ukraine[135] and Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military exercises along Russia's border with Ukraine,[136] Paul began taking a different tone.[137] He wrote: "Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine is a gross violation of that nation's sovereignty and an affront to the international community ... Putin must be punished for violating the Budapest Memorandum, and Russia must learn that the U.S. will isolate it if it insists on acting like a rogue nation."[138] He said that the United States and European allies could retaliate against Russia's military aggression without any need for military action. He urged that the United States impose economic sanctions on Russia and resume an effort to build defensive anti-missile installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. He also called for the United States to take steps as a counterweight to Russia's strategic influence on Europe's oil and gas supply, such as lifting restrictions on new exploration and drilling for fossil fuels in the United States along with immediate approval of the controversial Keystone Pipeline, which he said would allow the United States to ship more oil and gas to Europe if Russia attempts to cut off its own supply to Europe.[138]

Paul played a leading role in blocking a treaty with Switzerland that would enable the IRS to conduct tax evasion probes, arguing that the treaty would infringe upon Americans' privacy.[139] Paul received the 2014 Distinguished Service Award from the Center for the National Interest (formally called the Nixon Center) for his public policy work.[140][141]

In response to reports that the CIA infiltrated the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Paul called for the firing of CIA Director John O. Brennan.[142] In December 2014, Paul supported the actions taken by the Obama administration to change United States policy towards Cuba and to ease trade restrictions with that country.[143]

114th Congress (2015–2017)

In the beginning of 2015, Senator Paul re-introduced the Federal Reserve Transparency Act.[144] Paul also introduced the FAIR Act, or Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act, which would restrict civil forfeiture proceedings.[145] Paul spoke for ten and a half hours on May 20, 2015, in opposition to the reauthorization of Section 215 of the Patriot Act.[146][147] Sections of the Patriot Act were prevented from being reauthorized on June 1.[148]

After the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016, on February 15, Paul indicated that he would oppose any nomination by President Obama to replace the late Supreme Court Justice.[149]

During a press briefing on May 6, 2016, President Obama called on Paul to stop "blocking the implementation of tax treaties that have been pending for years", arguing that they assisted law enforcement in off shore investigations into tax evasion.[150] Paul advocated for the abolition of gun-free zones during a speech to the National Rifle Association on May 20, citing repeated tragedies occurring in these locations.[151] On June 6, Paul spoke of introducing legislation to cease Selective Service, three days after the death of Muhammad Ali, after whom he intended to name the legislation in tribute.[152]

115th Congress (2017–2019)

In March 2017, Paul introduced the Stop Arming Terrorists Act that would prohibit the use of United States government funds to provide assistance to Al Qaeda, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and to countries supporting those organizations.[153][154] On March 16, Senator John McCain (Rep) accused Paul of being an agent of Vladimir Putin after Paul objected to adding Montenegro to NATO.[155][156] Paul responded the following day by saying McCain "makes a really, really strong case for term limits", suggesting McCain had become "a little unhinged" as a result of his seniority.[157] On April 7, McCain said he did not pay attention to any of Paul's rhetoric and that the latter did not have "any real influence" in the United States Senate.[158]

Paul questioned President Trump's April 2017 missile strike to Syria by saying, "While we all condemn the atrocities in Syria, the United States was not attacked." He said that further action should not be taken without congressional authorization.[159][160]

Paul was one of 22 senators to sign a letter[161] to President Donald Trump urging him to have the United States withdraw from the Paris Agreement in May 2017. According to The Guardian, Paul has received over $250,000 from oil, gas and coal interests since 2012.[162] In July, Rand Paul joined Reps. Justin Amash (R-MI), Thomas Massie (R-KY), John Duncan Jr. (R-TN) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in opposing a bill that would impose new economic sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. President Trump opposed the bill, pointing out that relations with Russia were already "at an all-time and dangerous low". He did, however, sign the bill though likely out of political pressure.[163]

Paul confirmed in an October 2017 interview he would not vote for the Republican budget in the Senate unless billions in spending were removed from the plan: "If leadership is unwilling to compromise with somebody who is concerned about the debt, then they deserve to lose."[164]

In February 2018, Republican senators introduced an immigration framework akin to that proposed by President Trump and with his support that called for $25 billion being provided for border security in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants brought into the US illegally.[165] Paul was one of fourteen Republican senators to vote against the proposal.[166]

FiveThirtyEight, which tracks Congressional votes, found that Paul had voted with Donald Trump's positions the least out of all Republicans, only voting with him 74% of the time by August 2018.[167] In December 2018, in the wake of court filings implicating President Trump's involvement in campaign finance violations, including an attempt to buy a woman's silence, Paul played down the alleged violations and said that they should not be "over-criminalized."[168] Paul said that the campaign finance violations were "an error in filing paperwork or not categorizing" and that going after such violations would turn the U.S. into a "banana republic, where every president gets prosecuted and every president gets thrown in jail when they're done with office."[168]

Affordable Care Act repeal

Paul introduced a bill on January 25, 2017, that sought to replace the Affordable Care Act which included each person's having a tax credit of $5,000 and not requiring everyone to have coverage, unlike Obamacare.[169]

On March 2, after marching to the House of Representatives side of Capitol Hill, Paul was filmed knocking on a door while demanding to see their copy of the replacing and repealing the Affordable Care Act bill.[170] Paul spoke with President Trump over the phone on March 6, Paul telling him that the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act should be two separate bills. Two days later, Paul said Republicans were united in repealing the Affordable Care Act but divided in their stances on its replacement.[171] On March 12, Paul accused House Speaker Paul Ryan of being misleading in portraying supporters of the American Health Care Act of 2017 as not being negotiable,[172] and three days later, March 15, furthered that Ryan was "selling" President Trump "a bill of goods" that he had not explained fully to the president.[173]

After the bill was pulled by Republican leaders from a vote, Paul released a statement on March 24 thanking House conservatives for rebelling "against ObamaCare Lite."[174] Later, on April 2, Paul golfed with Trump and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, where they discussed a variety of topics, including healthcare.[175][176]

Paul told reporters on June 15 that he was willing to vote for a partial repeal, but not the implementation of new Republican entitlement programs, which he identified as present in both House and Senate versions of the bill.[177] Paul also told reporters on September 11 that he did not believe the Graham-Cassidy bill would pass.[178] Paul tweeted on September 15 that Graham-Cassidy retained "90% of Obamacare" and dubbed it "more Obamacare Lite".[179]

On September 19, Paul asserted the Graham-Cassidy bill as immortalizing the Affordable Care Act and "a big government boondoggle of a trillion dollars of spending" that Republicans should abandon in favor of pursuing measures that would allow for health insurance to be purchased across state lines.[180] On September 22, after President Trump tweeted that "Rand Paul, or whoever votes against Hcare Bill, will forever (future political campaigns) be known as 'the Republican who saved Obamacare'", Paul responded that he would not be coerced into supporting Graham-Cassidy with bribes or bullying.[181]

116th Congress (2019–2021)

 
Paul at the 2019 Turning Point USA Winter Gala at Mar-a-Lago.

In January 2019, Paul condemned Senator Mitt Romney for writing an editorial criticizing President Trump. Paul said that Romney's criticism of Trump's character was bad for the country and for the Republican Party.[182]

On July 17, 2019, Paul blocked Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's motion for unanimous consent on a bill renewing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund along with Utah Senator Mike Lee. The fund was estimated to run out by the end of the year; the bill would renew it until the year 2090. Paul argued that he was not blocking the bill, but rather seeking a vote on an amendment that would offset the new spending by other spending cuts due to the deficit. In a segment on Fox News, which went viral, comedian Jon Stewart and 9/11 first responder John Feal rebuked Paul, accusing him of hypocritical "fiscal responsibility virtue signalling", for delaying passage of the bill, while at the same time he voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which increased the deficit.[183] In response, Paul said he has always insisted on "pay-go provisions" for any increase in spending, including for disaster relief funding, and called Stewart uninformed and a part of a "left-wing mob".[184]

 
Paul speaking at a Turning Point USA event in 2020

On November 4, 2019, Paul called on the media to reveal the secret identity of Trump's Ukraine quid pro quo whistleblower after threatening to reveal the name himself.[185]

In February 2020, Paul criticized YouTube for removing a video of his floor speech about the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. His speech contained a controversial question for impeachment manager Adam Schiff and counsel for the president: "Are you aware that House Intelligence Committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with [...] when at the National Security Council together?"[186][187][188]

On February 26, 2020, Paul's wife purchased between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of stock in Gilead Sciences, a pharmaceutical company that produces an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, before the threat from the coronavirus was fully understood by the public; his disclosure of this transaction came 16 months after the legal deadline set forth in the Stock Act, a law that combats insider trading.[189] Paul's office stated that the disclosure form was filled up on time, but by mistake was not submitted.[190] This purchase was the only stock in an individual company that Paul or his wife bought in the previous 10 years.[190]

In September 2020, Paul was the lone Republican to vote against the COVID-19 aid package introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell, joining the Democrats who unanimously voted against it. Paul's grievance with the bill was the accumulation to the debt it would have triggered.[191][192]

After the 2020 presidential election, Paul refused to accept Democratic candidate Joe Biden's victory against Trump and falsely claimed that the election was "stolen."[193]

117th Congress (2021–present)

Paul gives a speech during the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count.

Initially, Paul insisted that the 2020 elections were fraudulent,[194][195] and in December 2020, claimed that the election "in many ways was stolen."[196] Later, he accepted the state-certified electors that named Biden.

In a press release and during the Electoral College session to count the vote, which followed the 2021 United States Capitol attack, Paul argued that the electoral college is an indispensable friend of democracy in checking the danger of centralized power in deciding elections.[197] He additionally condemned the attack while it occurred, calling it "violence and mob rule" and "un-American." He blamed the rioters as setting back election reform discussions and asked them to "just stop it."[198][199] Later that month, Paul continued to make false claims of fraud in the 2020 election and refused to say that the election was not stolen.[195] In the subsequent second impeachment trial of Trump, which sought to convict him on charges of incitement of insurrection, Paul questioned the constitutionality of it due to Trump having left office by the time it reached the Senate, as well as defending him against the charges, "I want Democrats to raise their hands if they have ever given a speech that says 'take back,' 'fight for your country,' who hasn't used the words fight figuratively?"[200] Once Trump was impeached in January 2021, Paul introduced a motion to the Senate declaring the impeachment to be unconstitutional. Five Republicans joined all 50 Democrats to defeat the motion 55 to 45. With 45 Republican senators supporting him, Paul stated the impeachment was 'dead on arrival'.[201] Paul formally voted against the charges on February 13, 2021.[202]

In January 2022, a video resurfaced of Paul advising medical students at the University of Louisville in 2013, during which he said "misinformation works, so try to trick your opponents".[203]

In May 2022, Paul blocked a bipartisan bill that would provide $40 billion in aid for Ukraine during the Russian invasion, citing the need to create a special inspector general to oversee how the aid is spent.[204]

Committee assignments

On February 3, 2021, Paul was named a ranking member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.[205]

Caucuses

2016 presidential campaign

Main article: Rand Paul 2016 presidential campaign
Further information: 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries

Background

 
Paul speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 14, 2013.
 
Paul speaking at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, October 2015.

Paul was considered a potential candidate for the Republican nomination for the Presidency of the United States since at least January 2013.[206] He delivered the Tea Party response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on February 13, 2013,[207] while Marco Rubio gave the official Republican response. This prompted some pundits to call that date the start of the 2016 Republican primaries.[208] That year, he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C., where he won the 2016 Presidential straw poll. Paul went on to win the straw poll for the next two years as well, leading to some considering Paul to be a front runner for the nomination, although CPAC attendees are typically considered younger and more libertarian-minded than average Republican voters.[209][210][211]

In a speech at the GOP Freedom Summit in April 2014, Paul insisted that the GOP has to broaden its appeal in order to grow as a party. To do so, he said it cannot be the party of "fat cats, rich people and Wall Street" and that the conservative movement has never been about rich people or privilege, "we are the middle class", he said. Paul also said that conservatives must present a message of justice and concern for the unemployed and be against government surveillance to attract new people to the movement, including the young, Hispanics, and black voters.[212]

During the 2014 election, Paul launched a social media campaign titled "Hillary's Losers" which was meant to highlight many of the Democratic candidates that lost their bids for the U.S. Senate despite endorsements from Hillary Clinton. Clinton was also a candidate for President and eventually won the Democratic Party's nomination, going on to lose to Donald Trump in the general election.[213]

Paul began to assemble his campaign team, setting up campaign offices and hiring his campaign manager in the beginning of 2015, fueling speculation that he was preparing to enter the Presidential race.[214] Paul officially announced his presidential candidacy on April 7, 2015. Within a day of his announcement, Paul raised $1 million.[215]

Senate re-election

See also: 2016 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In April 2011, Paul filed to run for re-election to his Senate seat in 2016.[216] Had he become the Republican presidential (or vice-presidential) nominee, state law would prohibit him from simultaneously running for re-election.[217] In March 2014, the Republican-controlled Kentucky Senate passed a bill that would allow Paul to run for both offices, but the Democratic-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives declined to take it up.[218][219][220]

Paul spent his own campaign money in the 2014 legislative elections, helping Republican candidates for the State House in the hopes of flipping the chamber, thus allowing the legislature to pass the bill (Democratic Governor Steve Beshear's veto can be overridden with a simple majority).[221][222] However, the Democrats retained their 54–46 majority in the State House.[223][224][225] Paul has since given his support to the idea that the Kentucky Republican Party could decide to hold a caucus rather than a primary, potentially giving Paul more time to decide whether he should run for U.S. Senator or continue a potential bid for president.[226]

Exit from presidential campaign

Paul announced the suspension of his presidential campaign on February 3, 2016, shortly after the Iowa caucus, where he finished in fifth place.[227]

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Rand Paul

A supporter of the Tea Party movement,[228][207] Paul has described himself as a "constitutional conservative".[229] He is generally described as a libertarian, a term he both embraced[230] and rejected[231] during his first Senate campaign. He supports term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and the Read the Bills Act, in addition to the widespread reduction of federal spending and taxation. He favors a flat tax rate of 14.5% for individuals and business, while eliminating the FICA payroll taxes, as well as taxes on inheritance, gifts, capital gains, dividends, and interest.[232] Paul has frequently appeared on Infowars with radio show host and right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.[233][234][235][236] Ideologically, the American Conservative Union has given Paul a lifetime conservative rating of 96% and the Conservative Review gave him a 92% score.[237] Since the 2016 Republican primary, when Paul was highly critical of Trump, he has "become one of the president's closest allies despite occasionally voting against Trump's nominees and legislative proposals."[182] As of June 2020, according to FiveThirtyEight, Paul had voted with President Trump's position on congressional issues 70% of the time, the second lowest among all Republican senators.[238]

Abortion

Paul describes himself as "100% pro life", believing that legal personhood begins at fertilization.[239][240][241] In 2009, his position was to ban abortion under all circumstances.[242][243] Since 2010, he has said he would allow for a doctor's discretion in life-threatening cases such as ectopic pregnancies.[244] In 2011, Paul signed onto the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act which was intended to prohibit federal funding for abortion, with the exception of abortions in the case of rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother.[245]

Immigration

On September 5, 2017, the Trump administration announced the intended rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. In tweets responding to the act, Paul stated the executive order that created DACA was illegal and congressional bipartisanship was needed to solve or fix the program.[246]

Paul was one of 11 Republicans in 2019 to vote against Trump's demand for "emergency border funding".[247]

LGBTQ+

Paul has said that same-sex marriage "offends [himself] and a lot of people" on a personal level, and said there is a "crisis that allows people to think there would be some other sorts of marriage."[248][249] Prior to the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States, Paul held the view that the decision to ban same-sex marriage should be in the hands of states.[250] Following the Court's decision, Paul said in 2015, "While I disagree with Supreme Court's redefinition of marriage, I believe that all Americans have the right to contract. The Constitution is silent on the question of marriage because marriage has always been a local issue. Our founding fathers went to the local courthouse to be married, not to Washington, D.C. I've often said I don't want my guns or my marriage registered in Washington."[251]

During Rachel Levine's confirmation hearing with the Senate HELP Committee to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Biden, Paul compared transgender medicine to "genital mutilation" and accused her of supporting "surgical destruction of a minor's genitalia." Paul was rebuked by committee chairman Patty Murray, as well as multiple House and Senate Democrats, who were to vote on the Equality Act that same day.[252][253]

Foreign policy

 
Paul being interviewed by Jerry Doyle at Liberty Political Action Conference (LPAC) 2011 in Reno, Nevada, September 16, 2011.

Unlike his more stridently "non-interventionist" father, Paul concedes a role for American armed forces abroad, including permanent foreign military bases.[254] He has said that he blames supporters of the Iraq War and not President Obama for the growth in violence that occurred in 2014, and that the Iraq War "emboldened" Iran.[255] Dick Cheney, John McCain and Rick Perry responded by calling Paul an isolationist,[256][257] but Paul has pointed to opinion polls of likely GOP primary voters as support for his position.[258] In 2011, shortly after being elected, Paul proposed a budget which specified $542 billion in defense spending. In 2015, he called for a defense budget of $697 billion.[259]

Referring to ISIS, Paul stated: "I personally believe that this group would not be in Iraq and would not be as powerful had we not been supplying their allies in the war [against Syrian Bashar al-Assad's government]."[260] Paul then supported airstrikes against ISIS, but questioned the constitutionality of Obama's unilateral actions without a clear congressional mandate.[261][262] Paul has stated concerns about arms sent to Syrian rebels that wind up in unfriendly hands.[263] In December 2018 he supported President Trump's decision to pull the US army out from the Syrian Civil war.[264]

In 2016, Paul was one of the first members of Congress to come out in opposition to United States support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.[265] In June 2017, Paul tried to block Trump administration's plan to sell more weapons to Saudi Arabia.[266] In April 2018, he again criticized the U.S.-Saudi Arabia alliance, highlighting that "Saudi Arabia has funded radical madrassas, teaching hatred of America throughout the world, and that Saudi Arabia also supplied arms to ISIS in the Syrian civil war."[267] Paul said that U.S.-backed Saudi blockade of Yemen has further aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the country.[267]

Paul, like his father, has also been a critic of neoconservatism,[268] and urged Trump to not choose prominent neoconservative Elliott Abrams to serve as Deputy Secretary of State.[269] In April 2018, Paul voted for the confirmation of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State.[270] Paul had previously insisted that he would not confirm Pompeo, citing Pompeo's hawkish foreign policy beliefs.[271]

In June 2019, Paul criticized the Trump administration for escalating tensions with Iran. Said Paul: "One of the things I like about President Trump is that he said the Iraq War was a mistake. I think an Iran war would be even a bigger mistake than the Iraq War."[272][273] In January 2020 he criticized the U.S. airstrike on Baghdad International Airport which killed high-level Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Paul stated that the attack will increase tensions between the two countries.[274]

On June 12, 2017, U.S. senators reached an agreement on legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia and Iran. The bill was opposed only by Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders.[275] In July 2018, shortly after 12 Russian intelligence officers have been charged with hacking and leaking emails of senior Democrats, he described the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as a "witch hunt on the president".[276] That same month, Paul blocked a Senate resolution that backed the intelligence community's assessment of Russian election interference and that called on President Trump to speak with special counsel Robert Mueller.[277] In August 2018 Paul traveled to Moscow and met with several Russian senators, including Sergey Kislyak. In May 2019, Paul opposed the decision of the Senate Intelligence committee, chaired by Republican Senator Richard Burr, to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., a close friend of Paul's, to testify in front of Congress about his involvement with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign.[278] In July 2018, Paul was among only two senators to vote against a Senate motion supporting NATO.[279]

On July 1, 2020, the Senate rejected Paul's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which would have required the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan within a year and brought an end to the 19-year war.[280]

On May 12, 2022, Paul stopped a vote on a $40 billion spending bill for aid to Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion, objecting that it would be the second spending bill for this purpose, and is 3 times larger than the first.[281] Paul has also stated that President Biden provoked Russia by advocating for Ukraine's entrance into NATO.[282] In July, the Security Service of Ukraine placed Paul on a list of public figures whom it alleges promote Russian propaganda.[283]

Criminal justice issues

 
Paul speaking with former U.S. Congressman Allen West.

Paul has focused on criminal justice reform as a legislative priority.[284][285] He introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act in 2013 to provide judges with greater sentencing flexibility,[286] the Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act in 2014 to restore voting rights for non-violent felons,[287] the REDEEM Act in 2014 to allow sealing and expungement for non-violent crimes,[288] the FAIR Act in 2014 to rein in police use of civil asset forfeiture,[289] the RESET Act in 2014 to address the crack sentencing disparity and how drugs are weighed,[290] the Police CAMERA Act in 2015 to increase the use of body cameras by police,[291] the Stop Militarizing Our Law Enforcement Act in 2015 to reduce the use of military equipment by police,[292] the MERCY Act in 2015 to restrict the use of solitary confinement on juveniles,[293] the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act in 2017 to encourage states to reform bail policies,[294] the Pregnant Women in Custody Act in 2018 to protect the health and safety of pregnant women in prison,[295] and the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act in 2020 to end the use of no-knock warrants.[296] Paul says policies such as the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing have particularly harmed minorities.[297][298]

In 2020, Paul held up bipartisan legislation that would make lynching a federal crime.[299] Paul said that he thought lynching should be "universally condemned", but wanted an amendment to clarify that the causation of non-fatal injuries would not be considered lynching.[300]

Paul was one of six Republican senators to vote no on expanding the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would allow the U.S. Justice Department to review hate crimes related to COVID-19 and establish an online database.[301][302]

On May 28, 2021, Paul voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[303]

Cannabis

On cannabis legalization, Paul says the issue should be left up to the states and that "you ought to be able to pretty much do what you want to do as long as you don't hurt somebody else".[304][305] Regarding medical use, Paul has endorsed efforts to legalize in Kentucky[306] and introduced the CARERS Act in 2015 to legalize medical cannabis at the federal level.[307] Paul has also supported states' rights-focused cannabis legislation, introducing the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment in 2014,[308] cosponsoring the STATES Act in 2018,[309] and introducing other amendments.[310][311] Paul introduced the Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act in 2015 to allow cannabis businesses increased access to banks.[312]

Regarding industrial hemp cultivation, Paul has supported efforts to legalize in Kentucky[313][314] and at the federal level as well, introducing the Industrial Hemp Farming Act in 2013.[315] In 2020 he introduced the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act to increase the THC limit of hemp from 0.3% to 1%.[316][317]

Government surveillance

 
Paul in New Hampshire, August 13, 2015.

As a critic of warrantless surveillance of Americans, Paul says "the Fourth Amendment is equally as important as the Second Amendment" and has called for conservatives to more strongly defend Fourth Amendment rights.[318][319] In 2015 Paul spoke for ten and a half hours on the Senate floor against renewing provisions of the PATRIOT Act that he said were unconstitutional.[320][321] Paul has called Edward Snowden a "whistleblower" and called for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to resign for "lying" about the phone metadata program that Snowden exposed.[322][323] He also filed a class action lawsuit against the Obama administration seeking to end the program.[324] Paul gave a speech at the University of California, Berkeley in 2014 titled "The N.S.A. vs. Your Privacy".[325][326]

Climate change

Paul has not definitively accepted the scientific consensus on climate change, which has found that global warming is real, progressing, and primarily caused by humans. Paul has said pollution emissions are subject to "onerous regulation."[327][328] In 2018, Paul called for an investigation of a National Science Foundation grant that went towards educating meteorologists about the science of climate change. Paul said the grant was "not science" but "propagandizing".[329] In a January 2020 tweet, Paul said "Despite climate alarmist predictions, humans will likely survive for hundreds of millions of years into the future. In the meantime, we should begin creating atmospheres on suitable moons or planets."[330]

Disease control

Paul has spread false claims about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.[331][332] In 2009, Paul was interviewed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and suggested mandatory vaccination would be akin to martial law.[333] On February 2, 2015, he told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham regarding vaccinations, that "most of them ought be voluntary".[334] His remarks generated controversy by suggesting that states should not require parents to vaccinate their children, because parents should have the freedom to make that decision for their children. Later that day, in an interview with CNBC, Paul clarified this statement, commenting "I'm not arguing vaccines are a bad idea. I think they are a good thing, but I think the parent should have some input. The state doesn't own your children. Parents own the children, and it is an issue of freedom."[335] Afterward, he added about vaccines, "I've heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines."[336] On February 3, he posted a photograph to Twitter of himself being vaccinated.[337]

In 2014, Paul argued that the Obama administration and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were downplaying the threat posed by Ebola virus in the United States. Ultimately, nine people infected with Ebola returned to the United States, two nurses contracted the disease within the US, and two of the returning travelers died.[338]

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul said that stay-at-home orders amounted to "dictatorship" by Kentucky's Democratic governor Andy Beshear.[339]

At a Senate committee hearing on September 23, 2020, Paul clashed with Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.[340][341] Paul asked Fauci if he had "second thoughts" about the CDC's mitigation recommendations, including mask-wearing and maintaining a six feet space of social distancing.[342] Paul said New York's high fatality rate showed that mitigation efforts were insufficient.[343] Fauci replied, "You've misconstrued that Senator, and you've done that repetitively in the past", saying that New York had succeeded in getting the virus under control by adhering to the CDC's clinical guidelines.[344]

In May 2021, during President Biden's push to convince more Americans to be vaccinated, Paul said he personally was choosing not to get the COVID vaccine, justifying his decision by saying that "I've already had the disease and I have natural immunity" and that "in a free country ... each individual would get to make the medical decision."[345] He later challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on the Biden administration's vaccine mandates by arguing that they are not needed for people who have been previously infected.[346]

At Senate hearings in May and July 2021, Paul debated Anthony Fauci on the origin of COVID-19, gaining media attention for his concerns about the risks of lab work.[347] In July 2021, Fauci responded to Paul's allegations and called him a liar.[348] In August 2021, Paul was suspended from YouTube for a week under the company's misinformation policy after he published a video which falsely claims that masks are not effective.[349][350][351] Paul also released a video of himself calling on people to "resist" public health measures to halt the spread of COVID-19.[352]

On August 11, 2021, Rand Paul disclosed that his wife Kelley Paul had purchased a stake in Gilead Sciences, which manufactures an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, on February 26, 2020.[353]

Healthcare

Paul supports repealing the Affordable Care Act[354] and opposes universal healthcare, having once equated it to slavery.[355]

Term limits

In November 2019, Paul signed a pledge to support a constitutional amendment to limit senators to two terms.[356]

Personal life

 
Paul with his family on the Capitol steps.
 
Paul and his father Ron Paul at an event hosted in their honor at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Paul is married to Kelley Paul (née Ashby), a freelance writer. They were married on October 20, 1990, and have three sons, William (born 1992), Duncan, and Robert. William and Duncan attended the University of Kentucky, while Robert attended a private school in the Washington, D.C. area.[357] They reside in Bowling Green, Kentucky.[358] They were previously active members of the Presbyterian church,[359] although more recently have attended a United Methodist church.[360]

2017 assault

On November 3, 2017, Paul was assaulted by a neighbor, Rene Boucher (then aged 59), a retired anesthesiologist. Paul, who is deaf in one ear,[361] was wearing noise-canceling headphones while mowing his lawn, reportedly enabling Boucher to tackle Paul without his own approach being noticed.[362]

Boucher was arrested and charged with one count of fourth-degree assault and released on a $7,500 bond. Paul sustained five broken ribs, of which three were displaced fractures.[363][364] In August 2019, part of Paul's lung required removal as a result of the injuries he suffered during the attack.[365]

Boucher's attorney, Matthew Baker, described it as "a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial".[364][366] According to a memorandum filed by Baker the dispute was over Paul repeatedly leaving tree yard debris near his property line with his neighbor.[367] Rand Paul and his wife deny this, they claim that the "media" have "misrepresented" this "from the beginning" and that the attack was "politically motivated." They claim that Boucher had threatened Donald Trump earlier and that he was "a vocal hater" of Trump and the GOP.[368]

Boucher was originally charged in Kentucky state court,[369] but was later charged in federal court, where he ultimately pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress.[370] The state-court charge was dismissed after Boucher pleaded guilty to the federal charge.[370] Boucher was initially sentenced to 30 days in prison, one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $10,000 fine. The federal prosecutors had sought a 21-month term and appealed the lenient sentence.[370]

In September 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated Boucher's sentence of 30 days, ruling it was unreasonably short, indicating "closer review" was in order, and the case was sent back to the lower court for resentencing.[371] An appeal to the Supreme Court was denied.[372] At his resentencing, Boucher received a prison term of eight months, plus another six months of home confinement, and was given credit for the 30 days he had previously served. Prosecutors felt the downward departure from their request for a 21-month sentence was too great, but the judge said Boucher's eight years in the military, being forced to sell his home to pay a $580,000 judgment assessed by the state court against him in the civil case brought by Paul, and his completed community service mitigated against any additional prison time. Boucher expressed his regrets and contrition for his attack.[373]

2020 COVID-19 diagnosis

Paul announced on March 22, 2020, that he had tested positive for COVID-19 amid the ongoing pandemic of the disease. He was the first member of the United States Senate to test positive.[374][375] Paul received bipartisan criticism from his Senate colleagues after it was discovered that he attended Senate lunches and used the Senate gym while awaiting his test results; he defended his actions because he had no symptoms of the illness and believed it was "highly unlikely" he was sick.[376] On April 7, 2020, Paul announced his recovery.[377]

2020 RNC confrontation

In August 2020, immediately following his attendance at the keynote speech delivered by President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican National Convention held at the White House, Paul was confronted by protestors on his way to a hotel with his wife. A police perimeter was formed that escorted the Pauls away from the crowd, with one of the escorting officers being pushed in the process. The protestors' main contention point with Paul was the shooting of Breonna Taylor and their demands for Paul to "say her name". However, as was pointed out by several media organizations in the aftermath of the incident, Paul had previously authored a bill named after Taylor aiming to make no-knock warrants illegal.[378][379][380]

Electoral history

2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Rand Paul 755,411 55.69% +5.03%
Democratic Jack Conway 599,617 44.26% -5.12%
Total votes 1,354,833 100.0% N/A
Republican hold
2016 United States Senate election in Kentucky[381]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Rand Paul (incumbent) 1,090,177 57.27% +1.58%
Democratic Jim Gray 813,246 42.73% -1.53%
Write-in 42 0.00% N/A
Total votes 1,903,465 100.0% N/A
Republican hold
2022 United States Senate election in Kentucky
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Rand Paul (incumbent) 913,257 61.81% +4.54%
Democratic Charles Booker 564,231 38.18% -4.55%
Independent Charles Lee Thomason 110 0.01% N/A
Independent Billy Ray Wilson 24 0.00% N/A
Total votes 1,477,622 100.0% N/A
Republican hold


Primary elections

2010 United States Senate Republican primary in Kentucky[382]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rand Paul 206,986 58.8%
Republican Trey Grayson 124,864 35.4%
Republican Bill Johnson 7,861 2.2%
Republican John Stephenson 6,885 2.0%
Republican Gurley L. Martin 2,850 0.8%
Republican Jon J. Scribner 2,829 0.8%
Total votes 352,275 100.0%
Cumulative results of the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald Trump 14,015,993 44.95%
Republican Ted Cruz 7,822,100 25.08%
Republican John Kasich 4,290,448 13.76%
Republican Marco Rubio 3,515,576 11.27%
Republican Ben Carson 857,039 2.75%
Republican Jeb Bush 286,694 0.92%
Republican Rand Paul 66,788 0.21%
Republican Mike Huckabee 51,450 0.16%
Republican Carly Fiorina 40,666 0.13%
Republican Chris Christie 57,637 0.18%
Republican Jim Gilmore 18,369 0.06%
Republican Rick Santorum 16,627 0.05%
2016 Republican National Convention delegate count
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Donald Trump 1,441 58.3%
Republican Ted Cruz 551 22.3%
Republican Marco Rubio 173 7.0%
Republican John Kasich 161 6.5%
Republican Ben Carson 9 0.4%
Republican Jeb Bush 4 0.2%
Republican Rand Paul 1 <0.1%
Republican Mike Huckabee 1 <0.1%
Republican Carly Fiorina 1 <0.1%
2016 United States Senate Republican primary in Kentucky[383]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rand Paul (incumbent) 169,180 84.79%
Republican James Gould 16,611 8.33%
Republican Stephen Slaughter 13,728 6.88%
Total votes 199,519 100.0%
2022 United States Senate Republican primary in Kentucky[384]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rand Paul (incumbent) 333,051 86.4%
Republican Valerie Frederick 14,018 3.6%
Republican Paul V. Hamilton 13,473 3.5%
Republican Arnold Blankenship 10,092 2.6%
Republican Tami Stanfield 9,526 2.5%
Republican John Schiess 5,538 1.4%
Total votes 385,698 100.0%

Works

See also

References

  1. ^ The senior US Senator from Kentucky is Mitch McConnell, see also List of current United States senators.
  2. ^ Dean, Kelly (January 4, 2022). "Sen. Rand Paul announces he has filed for re-election". WBKO.
  3. ^ Watkins, Morgan (January 31, 2020). How Rand Paul went from calling Donald Trump an 'orange windbag' to being a devout disciple. Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved: August 12, 2021.
  4. ^ Stonington, Joel (October 4, 2010). "How Old Is Rand Paul?". Politics Daily. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  5. ^ O'Bryan, Jason (October 25, 2010). . Politics Daily. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Wolfson, Andrew (October 18, 2010). . The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  7. ^ Healy, Gene (May 18, 2010). "Rand Paul, Anti-Incumbent Republican". Cato Institute. Retrieved February 8, 2011. Given father Ron's libertarian convictions, people often assume that he is named after the self-styled 'radical for capitalism' who wrote Atlas Shrugged.
  8. ^ a b Leibovich, Mark (June 6, 2010). "For Paul Family, Libertarian Ethos Began at Home". The New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
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  10. ^ Burnette, Eric (September 7, 2010). . Louisville. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Sherman, Jerome L. (August 3, 2007). "Texas congressman brings presidential campaign to hometown". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 12, 2011. He and his wife decided to settle in the southeastern Texan town of Lake Jackson, near the site of his military service. For a period, Paul was the only obstetrician in Brazoria County, and he delivered as many as 50 babies a month.
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  13. ^ Wolfford, David (April 5, 2010). . National Review. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  14. ^ Watterson, Mark (2008). Don't Weep for Me, America: How Democracy in America Became the Prince (While We Slept). Dorrance Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-8059-7890-2.
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  21. ^ Wagner, Bayliss (August 16, 2021). "Fact check: Rand Paul is still licensed to practice ophthalmology". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  22. ^ O'Rourke, Clara (August 13, 2021). "PolitiFact - No, Rand Paul's medical license wasn't revoked". Politifact. The Poynter Institute. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
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  24. ^ Harmon, Hayley (January 5, 2011). . WBKO. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  25. ^ Brammer, Jack (April 7, 2020). "Rand Paul says he has recovered from COVID-19 and is volunteering at a hospital". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
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  323. ^
January 09, 2023
rand, paul, confused, with, paul, paul, rand, senator, paul, redirects, here, other, uses, senator, paul, disambiguation, randal, howard, paul, born, january, 1963, american, physician, politician, serving, junior, united, states, senator, from, kentucky, sinc. Not to be confused with Ron Paul or Paul Rand Senator Paul redirects here For other uses see Senator Paul disambiguation Randal Howard Paul born January 7 1963 is an American physician and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011 1 A member of the Republican Party he is a son of former three time presidential candidate and 12 term U S representative from Texas Ron Paul Paul describes himself as a constitutional conservative and supporter of the Tea Party movement Rand PaulPaul in 2011United States Senatorfrom KentuckyIncumbentAssumed office January 3 2011Serving with Mitch McConnellPreceded byJim BunningRanking Member of the Senate Homeland Security CommitteeIncumbentAssumed office January 3 2023Preceded byRob PortmanRanking Member of theSenate Small Business CommitteeIn office February 3 2021 January 3 2023Preceded byBen CardinSucceeded byTBDPersonal detailsBornRandal Howard Paul 1963 01 07 January 7 1963 age 60 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania U S Political partyRepublicanSpouseKelley Ashby m 1990 wbr Children3Parent s Ron PaulCarol WellsEducationBaylor UniversityDuke University MD SignatureWebsiteSenate websitePaul attended Baylor University and is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine Paul was a practicing medical doctor ophthalmology in Bowling Green Kentucky from 1993 until his election to the Senate in 2010 He was re elected to a second term in 2016 and won a third term in 2022 2 Paul was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2016 U S presidential election He ended his campaign in February 2016 after finishing in fifth place during the Iowa caucuses While he initially opposed candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries he supported Trump following his nomination and became one of his top supporters in the U S Senate during and after his presidency 3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Medical career 2 1 National Board of Ophthalmology 3 Political activism 4 Election to U S Senate 4 1 Primary campaign 4 2 General campaign 5 U S Senate 5 1 112th Congress 2011 2013 5 2 113th Congress 2013 2015 5 3 114th Congress 2015 2017 5 4 115th Congress 2017 2019 5 4 1 Affordable Care Act repeal 5 5 116th Congress 2019 2021 5 6 117th Congress 2021 present 6 2016 presidential campaign 6 1 Background 6 2 Senate re election 6 3 Exit from presidential campaign 7 Political positions 7 1 Abortion 7 2 Immigration 7 3 LGBTQ 7 4 Foreign policy 7 5 Criminal justice issues 7 6 Cannabis 7 7 Government surveillance 7 8 Climate change 7 9 Disease control 7 10 Healthcare 7 11 Term limits 8 Personal life 8 1 2017 assault 8 2 2020 COVID 19 diagnosis 8 3 2020 RNC confrontation 9 Electoral history 9 1 Primary elections 10 Works 11 See also 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External linksEarly lifeRandal Howard Paul was born on January 7 1963 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to Carol nee Wells and Ron Paul who is also a politician and physician The middle child of five his siblings are Ronald Ronnie Paul Jr Lori Paul Pyeatt Robert Paul and Joy Paul LeBlanc 4 Paul was baptized in the Episcopal Church 5 and identified as a practicing Christian as a teenager 6 Despite his father s libertarian views and strong support for individual rights 6 7 the novelist Ayn Rand was not the inspiration for his first name Growing up he went by Randy 8 but his wife shortened it to Rand 9 10 The Paul family moved to Lake Jackson Texas in 1968 11 where he was raised 12 13 and where his father began a medical practice and for a period of time was the only obstetrician in Brazoria County 14 11 When Rand was 13 his father Ron Paul was elected to the United States House of Representatives 15 That same year Paul attended the 1976 Republican National Convention where his father headed Ronald Reagan s Texas delegation 16 The younger Paul spent several summer vacations interning in his father s congressional office 17 In his teenage years Paul studied the Austrian economists that his father respected as well as the writings of Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand 8 Paul went to Brazoswood High School and was on the swimming team and played defensive back on the football team 6 12 Paul attended Baylor University from fall 1981 to summer 1984 and was enrolled in the honors program During the time he spent at Baylor he completed his pre med requirements in two and a half years 18 was involved in the swim team and the Young Conservatives of Texas and was a member of a tongue in cheek secret organization the NoZe Brotherhood known for its irreverent humor 19 He regularly contributed to The Baylor Lariat student newspaper 16 Paul left Baylor without completing his baccalaureate degree 18 when he was accepted into his father s alma mater the Duke University School of Medicine which at the time did not require an undergraduate degree for admission to its graduate school He earned an M D degree in 1988 and completed his residency in 1993 20 Medical careerAfter completing his residency in ophthalmology Paul moved to Bowling Green Kentucky where he has been an active licensed physician since 1993 21 22 He worked for Downing McPeak Vision Centers for five years In 1998 he joined a private medical group practice the Graves Gilbert Clinic in Bowling Green for 10 years In 2008 Paul formed his own private practice across the street from John Downing his former employer at Downing McPeak 23 After his election to the U S Senate he merged his practice with Downing s medical practice 24 Paul has faced two malpractice lawsuits between 1993 and 2010 he was cleared in one case while the other was settled for 50 000 23 His medical work has been praised by Downing and he has medical privileges at two Bowling Green hospitals 23 In April 2020 after recovering from COVID 19 Paul began volunteering at a hospital in Bowling Green assisting them in their response to the COVID 19 pandemic in Kentucky 25 Paul specializes in cataract and glaucoma surgeries LASIK procedures and corneal transplants 9 As a member of the Bowling Green Noon Lions Club Paul founded the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic in 2009 to help provide eye surgery and exams for those who cannot afford to pay 26 Paul won the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services from the Lions Club International Foundation for his work establishing the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic 27 National Board of Ophthalmology In 1995 Paul was certified to practice by the American Board of Ophthalmology ABO 28 Three years earlier the ABO had changed its certification program which previously awarded lifetime certifications and required ophthalmologists to recertify every 10 years while those who had already been given lifetime certification were not required to recertify Paul felt this was unfair and campaigned to have all ophthalmologists recertify every ten years In 1999 he incorporated the National Board of Ophthalmology NBO to offer an alternative certification system at a cost substantially lower than that of the ABO 29 30 31 Board members were Paul his wife and his father in law 32 His father in law the board s secretary stated I never did go to any meetings There was really nothing involved It was more just a title than anything else for me 29 By Paul s estimate about 50 or 60 doctors were certified by the NBO 29 The NBO was not accepted as an accrediting entity by organizations such as the American Board of Medical Specialties and its certification was considered invalid by many hospitals and insurance companies Paul did not file the required paperwork with the Kentucky Secretary of State s office for the NBO s renewal to operate in 2000 He recreated the board in 2005 but it was again dissolved in 2011 33 Paul maintained his own ABO certification from 1995 to 2005 Specialty certification does not affect physician licensure and Paul s medical license has been valid continuously with no board actions since June 1993 34 Political activismPaul was head of the local chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas during his time at Baylor University 16 In 1984 Paul took a semester off to aid his father s primary challenge to Republican Senate candidate Phil Gramm 16 While attending Duke University School of Medicine Paul volunteered for his father s 1988 Libertarian presidential campaign 17 In response to President Bush s breaking his election promise to not raise taxes Paul founded the North Carolina Taxpayers Union in 1991 17 In 1994 Paul founded the anti tax organization Kentucky Taxpayers United KTU and was chair of the organization from its inception He has often cited his involvement with KTU as the foundation of his involvement with state politics 35 The group 36 37 examined Kentucky legislators records on taxation and spending and encouraged politicians to publicly pledge to vote uniformly against tax increases 38 39 Paul managed his father s successful 1996 congressional campaign in which the elder Paul returned to the House after a twelve year absence The elder Paul defeated incumbent Democrat turned Republican Greg Laughlin in the Republican primary despite Laughlin s support from the NRCC and Republican leaders such as Newt Gingrich and George W Bush 16 The Wall Street Journal reported in 2010 that although Paul had told a Kentucky television audience as recently as September 2009 that KTU published ratings each year on state legislators tax positions and that we ve done that for about 15 years the group had stopped issuing its ratings and report cards after 2002 and had been legally dissolved by the state in 2000 after failing to file registration documents 35 Paul spoke on his father s behalf when his father was campaigning for office 40 including throughout the elder Paul s run in the 2008 presidential election during which Rand campaigned door to door in New Hampshire 41 and spoke in Boston at a fundraising rally for his father on the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party 42 In February 2014 Paul joined the Tea Party affiliated conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks in filing a class action lawsuit charging that the federal government s bulk collection of Americans phone records metadata is a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U S Constitution 43 44 45 Commenting on the lawsuit at a press conference Paul said I m not against the NSA I m not against spying I m not against looking at phone records I just want you to go to a judge have an individual s name and get a warrant That s what the Fourth Amendment says 43 He also said there was no evidence the surveillance of phone metadata had stopped terrorism 43 Critics including Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz 46 and Steven Aftergood the director of the American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy 45 called the lawsuit a political stunt Paul s political campaign organization said that the names of members of the public who went to Paul s websites and signed on as potential class action participants would be available in the organization s database for future campaign use 43 47 On the announcement of the filing of the lawsuit Mattie Fein the spokeswoman for and former wife of attorney Bruce Fein complained that Fein s intellectual contribution to the lawsuit had been stolen and that he had not been properly paid for his work 48 Paul s representatives denied the charge and Fein issued a statement saying that Mattie Fein had not been authorized to speak for him on the matter and that he had in fact been paid for his work on the lawsuit 48 Paul is co author of a book entitled The Tea Party Goes to Washington 2011 49 50 and also the author of Government Bullies How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed Abused and Imprisoned by the Feds 2012 51 Paul was included in Time magazine s world s 100 most influential people for 2013 and 2014 52 53 He is also a contributor to Time magazine 54 Election to U S SenateMain article 2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky Primary campaign Paul speaking at a Tea Party rally in Hawesville Kentucky on November 21 2009 At the beginning of 2009 there was movement by political supporters of his father to draft Paul in a bid to replace beleaguered Republican Kentucky senator Jim Bunning Paul s potential candidacy was discussed in the Los Angeles Times 55 and locally in the Kentucky press 56 Paul s father said Should Senator Bunning decide not to run I think Rand would make a great U S Senator 57 On April 15 2009 Paul gave his first political speech as a potential candidate at a Tea Party rally held in his town of Bowling Green Kentucky where more than 700 people had gathered in support of the Tea Party movement The Tea Party Goes to Washington Nashville Center Street 2011 On May 1 2009 Paul said that if Bunning whose fundraising in 2009 matched his poor numbers in opinion polling for the 2010 election 58 declined to seek a third term he would almost certainly run in the Republican Party primary to succeed him 59 and formed an exploratory committee soon after while still promising to stay out of the race if Bunning ultimately decided to run for reelection Paul made this announcement on MSNBC s The Rachel Maddow Show though a Kentucky news site first broke the news 60 On July 28 2009 Bunning announced that he would not run for reelection in the face of insufficient fundraising The announcement left only Paul and Secretary of State Trey Grayson as the remaining candidates for the Republican nomination 61 with Paul announcing on August 5 2009 that he would officially run for the U S Senate as a Republican The announcement was made through a series of national TV events radio and other programs as well as newspapers in Kentucky 62 63 64 On August 20 2009 Paul s supporters planned a moneybomb to kick off his campaign The official campaign took in 433 509 in 24 hours His website reported that this set a new record in Kentucky s political fundraising history in a 24 hour period 65 A second moneybomb was held on September 23 2009 to counter a D C fundraiser being held for primary opponent Trey Grayson by 23 Republican United States Senators 66 The theme was a UFC fight between We the People and the D C Insiders 67 Later in the campaign Paul claimed his pledge to not take money from lobbyists and senators who had voted for the bailout was only a primary pledge 68 he subsequently held a fundraiser in Washington D C with the same senators who had been the target of the September 23 2009 moneybomb Paul ended up raising some 3 million during the primary period Paul s fundraising was aided by his father s network of supporters 16 Although Grayson was considered the frontrunner in July 2009 69 Paul found success characterizing Grayson as a career politician and challenging Grayson s conservatism Paul ran an ad in February that made an issue out of Grayson s September 2008 admission that he voted for Bill Clinton when he was 20 years old 70 James Dobson a Christian evangelical figure endorsed Grayson on April 26 based on the advice of what Dobson described as senior members of the GOP but on May 3 the Paul campaign announced that Dobson had changed his endorsement to Paul 71 after Paul and some Paul supporters had lobbied Dobson insisting on Paul s social conservative bona fides 72 On May 18 Paul won the Republican Senatorial primary by a 23 margin 73 74 meaning he would face the Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway in the November 2 general election 75 General campaign Paul greeting supporters at Bowman Field in Louisville Kentucky on November 1 2010 In the 2010 general election Paul faced Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway The campaign attracted 8 5 million in contributions from outside groups of which 6 million was spent to help Paul and 2 5 million to help Conway This money influx was in addition to the money spent by the candidates themselves 6 million by Paul and 4 7 million by Conway 76 77 On June 28 2010 Paul supporters held their first post primary online fundraising drive this time promoted as a money blast 78 79 Paul s campaign got off to a rough start after his comments on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stirred controversy 80 Paul stated that he favored 9 out of 10 titles of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but that had he been a senator during the 1960s he would have raised some questions on the constitutionality of Title II of the Act 81 Paul said that he abhors racism and that he would have marched with Martin Luther King Jr to repeal Jim Crow laws He later released a statement declaring that he would have voted for the Act and stated unequivocally that I will not support any efforts to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964 82 83 Later he generated more controversy by characterizing statements made by Obama Administration officials regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup as sounding un American 84 Paul defeated Conway in the general election with 56 of the vote to 44 for Conway U S Senate112th Congress 2011 2013 Paul being sworn in as a senator by Vice President Joe Biden along with his family in the Old Senate Chamber in the U S Capitol January 2011 Paul campaigning with his father Ron Paul for his 2012 presidential campaign in Waterloo Iowa on August 10 2011 Paul was sworn in on January 5 2011 along with his father who was simultaneously in the House of Representatives 85 Paul was assigned to be on the Energy and Natural Resources Health Education Labor and Pensions Homeland Security and Government Affairs and Small Business committees 86 Paul also formed the Senate Tea Party Caucus with Jim DeMint and Mike Lee as its inaugural members 87 His first legislative proposal was to cut 500 billion from federal spending in one year This proposal included cutting the Department of Education by 83 percent and the United States Department of Homeland Security by 43 percent as well as folding the Department of Energy into the Department of Defense and eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development Seven independent agencies would be eliminated and food stamps would be cut by 30 percent Under Paul s proposal defense spending would be reduced by 6 5 percent and international aid would be eliminated 88 89 90 He later proposed a five year budget plan intended to balance the budget 91 In February Paul was one of two Republicans to vote against extending three key provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act roving wiretaps searches of business records and conducting surveillance of lone wolves individuals not linked to terrorist groups 92 93 On March 2 Paul was one of nine senators to vote against a stopgap bill that cut 4 billion from the budget and would temporarily prevent a government shutdown saying that it did not cut enough from the budget 94 One week later he voted against the Democratic and Republican budget proposals to keep funding the federal government saying that both bills did not cut enough spending Both bills failed to pass the Senate He later voted against stopgap measures on March 17 and April 8 both of which passed the senate 95 96 On April 14 he was one of 19 senators to vote against a budget that cut 38 5 billion from the budget and funded the government for the remainder of the fiscal year 97 Paul voiced opposition to U S intervention in the Libyan Civil War and has criticized President Barack Obama for not gaining congressional consent for Operation Odyssey Dawn 98 99 During the debt ceiling crisis the Senator stated that he would only support raising the debt ceiling if a balanced budget amendment was enacted 100 Paul was a supporter of the Cut Cap and Balance Act which was tabled by Democratic opposition 101 On August 3 Paul voted against a bill that would raise the debt ceiling 102 On September 7 Paul called for a vote of no confidence in United States Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner 103 Later that month Paul blocked legislation that would strengthen safety rules for oil and gas pipelines because he stated the bill was not strong enough 104 In October Paul blocked a bill that would provide 36 million in benefits for elderly and disabled refugees saying that he was concerned that it could be used to aid domestic terrorists This was in response to two alleged terrorists who came to the United States through a refugee program and were receiving welfare benefits when they were arrested in 2011 in Paul s hometown of Bowling Green 105 Paul lifted his hold on the bill after Democratic leaders promised to hold a Congressional hearing into how individuals are selected for refugee status and request an investigation on how the two suspects were admitted in the country through a refugee program 106 In June 2012 Paul endorsed Mitt Romney after it became apparent that he would be the Republican nominee for the 2012 presidential election 107 However he was later vocal about his disagreements with Romney on a number of policies 108 113th Congress 2013 2015 For the 113th Congress Paul was added to the Foreign Relations committee and retained his spot on the Health Education Labor and Pensions Homeland Security and Government Affairs and Small Business committees 109 On March 6 7 2013 Paul engaged in a filibuster to delay voting on the nomination of John O Brennan as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Paul questioned the Obama administration s use of drones and the stated legal justification for their potential use within the United States Paul held the floor for 12 hours and 52 minutes 110 He ceded to several Republican senators and Democratic senator Ron Wyden who generally also questioned drone usage 111 112 Paul said his purpose was to challenge drone policy in general and specifically as it related to noncombatants on U S soil He requested a pledge from the Administration that noncombatants would not be targeted on U S soil 113 Attorney General Eric Holder responded that the President is not authorized to deploy extrajudicial punishment without due process against non combatant citizens Press Secretary Jay Carney read Holder s letter indicating president Obama s support The president has not and would not use drone strikes against American citizens on American soil 114 Press Paul answered that he was quite happy with the response 115 The filibuster was ended with a cloture vote of 81 to 16 and Brennan was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 63 to 34 116 Paul speaking during filibuster on the Senate floor on March 6 2013 In March 2013 Paul with Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee threatened another filibuster this one opposing any legislative proposals to expand federal gun control measures 117 The filibuster was attempted on April 11 2013 but was dismissed by cloture in a 68 31 vote 118 Also in March 2013 Paul endorsed fellow Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell s 2014 re election campaign 119 McConnell had previously hired Paul s 2010 campaign manager Jesse Benton as his own campaign manager 120 Paul s endorsement was seen as a major win for McConnell in avoiding a challenge in the Republican primary 119 In response to Detroit s declaration of bankruptcy Paul stated he would not allow the government to attempt to bail out Detroit In a phone interview with Breitbart News on July 19 2013 Paul said I basically say he is bailing them out over my dead body because we don t have any money in Washington Paul said he thought a federal bailout would send the wrong message to other cities with financial problems 121 In September Paul stated that the United States should avoid military intervention in the ongoing Syrian Civil War 122 In an op ed Paul disputed the Obama administration s claims that the threat of military force caused Syria s government to consider turning over its chemical weapons instead arguing that the opposition to military action in Syria and the delay that it caused led to diplomatic progress 123 In October 2013 Paul was the subject of some controversy when it was discovered that he had plagiarized from Wikipedia part of a speech in support of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli Referencing the movie Gattaca Paul quoted almost verbatim from the Wikipedia article about the film without citing the source 124 125 126 Evidence soon surfaced that Paul had copied sentences in a number of his other speeches nearly verbatim from other authors without giving credit to the original sources 127 128 including in the speech he had given as the Tea Party rebuttal to the president s 2013 State of the Union Address In addition a three page long passage of Paul s book Government Bullies was taken directly from an article by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation 129 130 When it became apparent that Paul s op ed in The Washington Times on mandatory minimums and related testimony he had given before the Senate Judiciary Committee both contained material that was virtually identical to an article that had been published by another author in The Week a few days earlier 131 The Washington Times said that the newspaper would no longer publish the weekly column Paul had been contributing to the paper 132 After a week of almost daily news reports of new allegations of plagiarism Paul said that he was being held to an unfair standard but would restructure his office in order to prevent mistakes in the future if that would be what it would take to make people leave me the hell alone 133 In response to political turmoil in Ukraine in early 2014 Paul initially said that the United States should remain mindful of the fact that although the Cold War is over Russia remains a military power with long range nuclear missiles He said that the United States should try to maintain a respectful relationship with Russia and avoid taking actions that the Russians might view as a provocation such as seeking to have Ukraine join NATO or otherwise interfering in Russia s relationship with Ukraine 134 Two weeks later after the Russian parliament authorized the use of military force in Ukraine 135 and Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military exercises along Russia s border with Ukraine 136 Paul began taking a different tone 137 He wrote Vladimir Putin s invasion of Ukraine is a gross violation of that nation s sovereignty and an affront to the international community Putin must be punished for violating the Budapest Memorandum and Russia must learn that the U S will isolate it if it insists on acting like a rogue nation 138 He said that the United States and European allies could retaliate against Russia s military aggression without any need for military action He urged that the United States impose economic sanctions on Russia and resume an effort to build defensive anti missile installations in Poland and the Czech Republic He also called for the United States to take steps as a counterweight to Russia s strategic influence on Europe s oil and gas supply such as lifting restrictions on new exploration and drilling for fossil fuels in the United States along with immediate approval of the controversial Keystone Pipeline which he said would allow the United States to ship more oil and gas to Europe if Russia attempts to cut off its own supply to Europe 138 Paul played a leading role in blocking a treaty with Switzerland that would enable the IRS to conduct tax evasion probes arguing that the treaty would infringe upon Americans privacy 139 Paul received the 2014 Distinguished Service Award from the Center for the National Interest formally called the Nixon Center for his public policy work 140 141 In response to reports that the CIA infiltrated the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee Paul called for the firing of CIA Director John O Brennan 142 In December 2014 Paul supported the actions taken by the Obama administration to change United States policy towards Cuba and to ease trade restrictions with that country 143 114th Congress 2015 2017 In the beginning of 2015 Senator Paul re introduced the Federal Reserve Transparency Act 144 Paul also introduced the FAIR Act or Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act which would restrict civil forfeiture proceedings 145 Paul spoke for ten and a half hours on May 20 2015 in opposition to the reauthorization of Section 215 of the Patriot Act 146 147 Sections of the Patriot Act were prevented from being reauthorized on June 1 148 After the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016 on February 15 Paul indicated that he would oppose any nomination by President Obama to replace the late Supreme Court Justice 149 During a press briefing on May 6 2016 President Obama called on Paul to stop blocking the implementation of tax treaties that have been pending for years arguing that they assisted law enforcement in off shore investigations into tax evasion 150 Paul advocated for the abolition of gun free zones during a speech to the National Rifle Association on May 20 citing repeated tragedies occurring in these locations 151 On June 6 Paul spoke of introducing legislation to cease Selective Service three days after the death of Muhammad Ali after whom he intended to name the legislation in tribute 152 115th Congress 2017 2019 In March 2017 Paul introduced the Stop Arming Terrorists Act that would prohibit the use of United States government funds to provide assistance to Al Qaeda Jabhat Fateh al Sham and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIL and to countries supporting those organizations 153 154 On March 16 Senator John McCain Rep accused Paul of being an agent of Vladimir Putin after Paul objected to adding Montenegro to NATO 155 156 Paul responded the following day by saying McCain makes a really really strong case for term limits suggesting McCain had become a little unhinged as a result of his seniority 157 On April 7 McCain said he did not pay attention to any of Paul s rhetoric and that the latter did not have any real influence in the United States Senate 158 Paul questioned President Trump s April 2017 missile strike to Syria by saying While we all condemn the atrocities in Syria the United States was not attacked He said that further action should not be taken without congressional authorization 159 160 Paul was one of 22 senators to sign a letter 161 to President Donald Trump urging him to have the United States withdraw from the Paris Agreement in May 2017 According to The Guardian Paul has received over 250 000 from oil gas and coal interests since 2012 162 In July Rand Paul joined Reps Justin Amash R MI Thomas Massie R KY John Duncan Jr R TN and Sen Bernie Sanders I VT in opposing a bill that would impose new economic sanctions against Russia Iran and North Korea President Trump opposed the bill pointing out that relations with Russia were already at an all time and dangerous low He did however sign the bill though likely out of political pressure 163 Paul confirmed in an October 2017 interview he would not vote for the Republican budget in the Senate unless billions in spending were removed from the plan If leadership is unwilling to compromise with somebody who is concerned about the debt then they deserve to lose 164 In February 2018 Republican senators introduced an immigration framework akin to that proposed by President Trump and with his support that called for 25 billion being provided for border security in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for 1 8 million immigrants brought into the US illegally 165 Paul was one of fourteen Republican senators to vote against the proposal 166 FiveThirtyEight which tracks Congressional votes found that Paul had voted with Donald Trump s positions the least out of all Republicans only voting with him 74 of the time by August 2018 167 In December 2018 in the wake of court filings implicating President Trump s involvement in campaign finance violations including an attempt to buy a woman s silence Paul played down the alleged violations and said that they should not be over criminalized 168 Paul said that the campaign finance violations were an error in filing paperwork or not categorizing and that going after such violations would turn the U S into a banana republic where every president gets prosecuted and every president gets thrown in jail when they re done with office 168 Affordable Care Act repeal Paul introduced a bill on January 25 2017 that sought to replace the Affordable Care Act which included each person s having a tax credit of 5 000 and not requiring everyone to have coverage unlike Obamacare 169 On March 2 after marching to the House of Representatives side of Capitol Hill Paul was filmed knocking on a door while demanding to see their copy of the replacing and repealing the Affordable Care Act bill 170 Paul spoke with President Trump over the phone on March 6 Paul telling him that the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act should be two separate bills Two days later Paul said Republicans were united in repealing the Affordable Care Act but divided in their stances on its replacement 171 On March 12 Paul accused House Speaker Paul Ryan of being misleading in portraying supporters of the American Health Care Act of 2017 as not being negotiable 172 and three days later March 15 furthered that Ryan was selling President Trump a bill of goods that he had not explained fully to the president 173 After the bill was pulled by Republican leaders from a vote Paul released a statement on March 24 thanking House conservatives for rebelling against ObamaCare Lite 174 Later on April 2 Paul golfed with Trump and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia where they discussed a variety of topics including healthcare 175 176 Paul told reporters on June 15 that he was willing to vote for a partial repeal but not the implementation of new Republican entitlement programs which he identified as present in both House and Senate versions of the bill 177 Paul also told reporters on September 11 that he did not believe the Graham Cassidy bill would pass 178 Paul tweeted on September 15 that Graham Cassidy retained 90 of Obamacare and dubbed it more Obamacare Lite 179 On September 19 Paul asserted the Graham Cassidy bill as immortalizing the Affordable Care Act and a big government boondoggle of a trillion dollars of spending that Republicans should abandon in favor of pursuing measures that would allow for health insurance to be purchased across state lines 180 On September 22 after President Trump tweeted that Rand Paul or whoever votes against Hcare Bill will forever future political campaigns be known as the Republican who saved Obamacare Paul responded that he would not be coerced into supporting Graham Cassidy with bribes or bullying 181 116th Congress 2019 2021 Paul at the 2019 Turning Point USA Winter Gala at Mar a Lago In January 2019 Paul condemned Senator Mitt Romney for writing an editorial criticizing President Trump Paul said that Romney s criticism of Trump s character was bad for the country and for the Republican Party 182 On July 17 2019 Paul blocked Senator Kirsten Gillibrand s motion for unanimous consent on a bill renewing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund along with Utah Senator Mike Lee The fund was estimated to run out by the end of the year the bill would renew it until the year 2090 Paul argued that he was not blocking the bill but rather seeking a vote on an amendment that would offset the new spending by other spending cuts due to the deficit In a segment on Fox News which went viral comedian Jon Stewart and 9 11 first responder John Feal rebuked Paul accusing him of hypocritical fiscal responsibility virtue signalling for delaying passage of the bill while at the same time he voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 which increased the deficit 183 In response Paul said he has always insisted on pay go provisions for any increase in spending including for disaster relief funding and called Stewart uninformed and a part of a left wing mob 184 Paul speaking at a Turning Point USA event in 2020 On November 4 2019 Paul called on the media to reveal the secret identity of Trump s Ukraine quid pro quo whistleblower after threatening to reveal the name himself 185 In February 2020 Paul criticized YouTube for removing a video of his floor speech about the impeachment trial of Donald Trump His speech contained a controversial question for impeachment manager Adam Schiff and counsel for the president Are you aware that House Intelligence Committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with when at the National Security Council together 186 187 188 On February 26 2020 Paul s wife purchased between 1 000 and 15 000 worth of stock in Gilead Sciences a pharmaceutical company that produces an antiviral drug used to treat COVID 19 before the threat from the coronavirus was fully understood by the public his disclosure of this transaction came 16 months after the legal deadline set forth in the Stock Act a law that combats insider trading 189 Paul s office stated that the disclosure form was filled up on time but by mistake was not submitted 190 This purchase was the only stock in an individual company that Paul or his wife bought in the previous 10 years 190 In September 2020 Paul was the lone Republican to vote against the COVID 19 aid package introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell joining the Democrats who unanimously voted against it Paul s grievance with the bill was the accumulation to the debt it would have triggered 191 192 After the 2020 presidential election Paul refused to accept Democratic candidate Joe Biden s victory against Trump and falsely claimed that the election was stolen 193 117th Congress 2021 present source Paul gives a speech during the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count Initially Paul insisted that the 2020 elections were fraudulent 194 195 and in December 2020 claimed that the election in many ways was stolen 196 Later he accepted the state certified electors that named Biden In a press release and during the Electoral College session to count the vote which followed the 2021 United States Capitol attack Paul argued that the electoral college is an indispensable friend of democracy in checking the danger of centralized power in deciding elections 197 He additionally condemned the attack while it occurred calling it violence and mob rule and un American He blamed the rioters as setting back election reform discussions and asked them to just stop it 198 199 Later that month Paul continued to make false claims of fraud in the 2020 election and refused to say that the election was not stolen 195 In the subsequent second impeachment trial of Trump which sought to convict him on charges of incitement of insurrection Paul questioned the constitutionality of it due to Trump having left office by the time it reached the Senate as well as defending him against the charges I want Democrats to raise their hands if they have ever given a speech that says take back fight for your country who hasn t used the words fight figuratively 200 Once Trump was impeached in January 2021 Paul introduced a motion to the Senate declaring the impeachment to be unconstitutional Five Republicans joined all 50 Democrats to defeat the motion 55 to 45 With 45 Republican senators supporting him Paul stated the impeachment was dead on arrival 201 Paul formally voted against the charges on February 13 2021 202 In January 2022 a video resurfaced of Paul advising medical students at the University of Louisville in 2013 during which he said misinformation works so try to trick your opponents 203 In May 2022 Paul blocked a bipartisan bill that would provide 40 billion in aid for Ukraine during the Russian invasion citing the need to create a special inspector general to oversee how the aid is spent 204 Committee assignments Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East South Asia Central Asia and Counterterrorism Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development Multilateral Institutions and International Economic Energy and Environmental Policy Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management International Operations and Bilateral International Development Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families Chairman Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Subcommittee on Emergency Management Intergovernmental Relations and the District of Columbia Chairman Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Ranking Member On February 3 2021 Paul was named a ranking member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee 205 Caucuses Senate Republican Conference2016 presidential campaignMain article Rand Paul 2016 presidential campaign Further information 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries Background Paul speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC in National Harbor Maryland on March 14 2013 Paul speaking at a campaign rally in Des Moines Iowa October 2015 Paul was considered a potential candidate for the Republican nomination for the Presidency of the United States since at least January 2013 206 He delivered the Tea Party response to President Barack Obama s State of the Union address on February 13 2013 207 while Marco Rubio gave the official Republican response This prompted some pundits to call that date the start of the 2016 Republican primaries 208 That year he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D C where he won the 2016 Presidential straw poll Paul went on to win the straw poll for the next two years as well leading to some considering Paul to be a front runner for the nomination although CPAC attendees are typically considered younger and more libertarian minded than average Republican voters 209 210 211 In a speech at the GOP Freedom Summit in April 2014 Paul insisted that the GOP has to broaden its appeal in order to grow as a party To do so he said it cannot be the party of fat cats rich people and Wall Street and that the conservative movement has never been about rich people or privilege we are the middle class he said Paul also said that conservatives must present a message of justice and concern for the unemployed and be against government surveillance to attract new people to the movement including the young Hispanics and black voters 212 During the 2014 election Paul launched a social media campaign titled Hillary s Losers which was meant to highlight many of the Democratic candidates that lost their bids for the U S Senate despite endorsements from Hillary Clinton Clinton was also a candidate for President and eventually won the Democratic Party s nomination going on to lose to Donald Trump in the general election 213 Paul began to assemble his campaign team setting up campaign offices and hiring his campaign manager in the beginning of 2015 fueling speculation that he was preparing to enter the Presidential race 214 Paul officially announced his presidential candidacy on April 7 2015 Within a day of his announcement Paul raised 1 million 215 Senate re election See also 2016 United States Senate election in Kentucky In April 2011 Paul filed to run for re election to his Senate seat in 2016 216 Had he become the Republican presidential or vice presidential nominee state law would prohibit him from simultaneously running for re election 217 In March 2014 the Republican controlled Kentucky Senate passed a bill that would allow Paul to run for both offices but the Democratic controlled Kentucky House of Representatives declined to take it up 218 219 220 Paul spent his own campaign money in the 2014 legislative elections helping Republican candidates for the State House in the hopes of flipping the chamber thus allowing the legislature to pass the bill Democratic Governor Steve Beshear s veto can be overridden with a simple majority 221 222 However the Democrats retained their 54 46 majority in the State House 223 224 225 Paul has since given his support to the idea that the Kentucky Republican Party could decide to hold a caucus rather than a primary potentially giving Paul more time to decide whether he should run for U S Senator or continue a potential bid for president 226 Exit from presidential campaign Paul announced the suspension of his presidential campaign on February 3 2016 shortly after the Iowa caucus where he finished in fifth place 227 Political positionsMain article Political positions of Rand Paul A supporter of the Tea Party movement 228 207 Paul has described himself as a constitutional conservative 229 He is generally described as a libertarian a term he both embraced 230 and rejected 231 during his first Senate campaign He supports term limits a balanced budget amendment and the Read the Bills Act in addition to the widespread reduction of federal spending and taxation He favors a flat tax rate of 14 5 for individuals and business while eliminating the FICA payroll taxes as well as taxes on inheritance gifts capital gains dividends and interest 232 Paul has frequently appeared on Infowars with radio show host and right wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones 233 234 235 236 Ideologically the American Conservative Union has given Paul a lifetime conservative rating of 96 and the Conservative Review gave him a 92 score 237 Since the 2016 Republican primary when Paul was highly critical of Trump he has become one of the president s closest allies despite occasionally voting against Trump s nominees and legislative proposals 182 As of June 2020 according to FiveThirtyEight Paul had voted with President Trump s position on congressional issues 70 of the time the second lowest among all Republican senators 238 Abortion Paul describes himself as 100 pro life believing that legal personhood begins at fertilization 239 240 241 In 2009 his position was to ban abortion under all circumstances 242 243 Since 2010 he has said he would allow for a doctor s discretion in life threatening cases such as ectopic pregnancies 244 In 2011 Paul signed onto the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act which was intended to prohibit federal funding for abortion with the exception of abortions in the case of rape incest and to save the life of the mother 245 Immigration On September 5 2017 the Trump administration announced the intended rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program In tweets responding to the act Paul stated the executive order that created DACA was illegal and congressional bipartisanship was needed to solve or fix the program 246 Paul was one of 11 Republicans in 2019 to vote against Trump s demand for emergency border funding 247 LGBTQ Paul has said that same sex marriage offends himself and a lot of people on a personal level and said there is a crisis that allows people to think there would be some other sorts of marriage 248 249 Prior to the Supreme Court s 2015 decision in Obergefell v Hodges legalizing same sex marriage across the United States Paul held the view that the decision to ban same sex marriage should be in the hands of states 250 Following the Court s decision Paul said in 2015 While I disagree with Supreme Court s redefinition of marriage I believe that all Americans have the right to contract The Constitution is silent on the question of marriage because marriage has always been a local issue Our founding fathers went to the local courthouse to be married not to Washington D C I ve often said I don t want my guns or my marriage registered in Washington 251 During Rachel Levine s confirmation hearing with the Senate HELP Committee to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Biden Paul compared transgender medicine to genital mutilation and accused her of supporting surgical destruction of a minor s genitalia Paul was rebuked by committee chairman Patty Murray as well as multiple House and Senate Democrats who were to vote on the Equality Act that same day 252 253 Foreign policy Paul being interviewed by Jerry Doyle at Liberty Political Action Conference LPAC 2011 in Reno Nevada September 16 2011 Unlike his more stridently non interventionist father Paul concedes a role for American armed forces abroad including permanent foreign military bases 254 He has said that he blames supporters of the Iraq War and not President Obama for the growth in violence that occurred in 2014 and that the Iraq War emboldened Iran 255 Dick Cheney John McCain and Rick Perry responded by calling Paul an isolationist 256 257 but Paul has pointed to opinion polls of likely GOP primary voters as support for his position 258 In 2011 shortly after being elected Paul proposed a budget which specified 542 billion in defense spending In 2015 he called for a defense budget of 697 billion 259 Referring to ISIS Paul stated I personally believe that this group would not be in Iraq and would not be as powerful had we not been supplying their allies in the war against Syrian Bashar al Assad s government 260 Paul then supported airstrikes against ISIS but questioned the constitutionality of Obama s unilateral actions without a clear congressional mandate 261 262 Paul has stated concerns about arms sent to Syrian rebels that wind up in unfriendly hands 263 In December 2018 he supported President Trump s decision to pull the US army out from the Syrian Civil war 264 In 2016 Paul was one of the first members of Congress to come out in opposition to United States support for the Saudi Arabian led intervention in Yemen 265 In June 2017 Paul tried to block Trump administration s plan to sell more weapons to Saudi Arabia 266 In April 2018 he again criticized the U S Saudi Arabia alliance highlighting that Saudi Arabia has funded radical madrassas teaching hatred of America throughout the world and that Saudi Arabia also supplied arms to ISIS in the Syrian civil war 267 Paul said that U S backed Saudi blockade of Yemen has further aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the country 267 Paul like his father has also been a critic of neoconservatism 268 and urged Trump to not choose prominent neoconservative Elliott Abrams to serve as Deputy Secretary of State 269 In April 2018 Paul voted for the confirmation of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State 270 Paul had previously insisted that he would not confirm Pompeo citing Pompeo s hawkish foreign policy beliefs 271 In June 2019 Paul criticized the Trump administration for escalating tensions with Iran Said Paul One of the things I like about President Trump is that he said the Iraq War was a mistake I think an Iran war would be even a bigger mistake than the Iraq War 272 273 In January 2020 he criticized the U S airstrike on Baghdad International Airport which killed high level Iranian General Qasem Soleimani Paul stated that the attack will increase tensions between the two countries 274 On June 12 2017 U S senators reached an agreement on legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia and Iran The bill was opposed only by Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders 275 In July 2018 shortly after 12 Russian intelligence officers have been charged with hacking and leaking emails of senior Democrats he described the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as a witch hunt on the president 276 That same month Paul blocked a Senate resolution that backed the intelligence community s assessment of Russian election interference and that called on President Trump to speak with special counsel Robert Mueller 277 In August 2018 Paul traveled to Moscow and met with several Russian senators including Sergey Kislyak In May 2019 Paul opposed the decision of the Senate Intelligence committee chaired by Republican Senator Richard Burr to subpoena Donald Trump Jr a close friend of Paul s to testify in front of Congress about his involvement with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign 278 In July 2018 Paul was among only two senators to vote against a Senate motion supporting NATO 279 On July 1 2020 the Senate rejected Paul s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act which would have required the withdrawal of all U S forces from Afghanistan within a year and brought an end to the 19 year war 280 On May 12 2022 Paul stopped a vote on a 40 billion spending bill for aid to Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion objecting that it would be the second spending bill for this purpose and is 3 times larger than the first 281 Paul has also stated that President Biden provoked Russia by advocating for Ukraine s entrance into NATO 282 In July the Security Service of Ukraine placed Paul on a list of public figures whom it alleges promote Russian propaganda 283 Criminal justice issues Paul speaking with former U S Congressman Allen West Paul has focused on criminal justice reform as a legislative priority 284 285 He introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act in 2013 to provide judges with greater sentencing flexibility 286 the Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act in 2014 to restore voting rights for non violent felons 287 the REDEEM Act in 2014 to allow sealing and expungement for non violent crimes 288 the FAIR Act in 2014 to rein in police use of civil asset forfeiture 289 the RESET Act in 2014 to address the crack sentencing disparity and how drugs are weighed 290 the Police CAMERA Act in 2015 to increase the use of body cameras by police 291 the Stop Militarizing Our Law Enforcement Act in 2015 to reduce the use of military equipment by police 292 the MERCY Act in 2015 to restrict the use of solitary confinement on juveniles 293 the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act in 2017 to encourage states to reform bail policies 294 the Pregnant Women in Custody Act in 2018 to protect the health and safety of pregnant women in prison 295 and the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act in 2020 to end the use of no knock warrants 296 Paul says policies such as the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing have particularly harmed minorities 297 298 In 2020 Paul held up bipartisan legislation that would make lynching a federal crime 299 Paul said that he thought lynching should be universally condemned but wanted an amendment to clarify that the causation of non fatal injuries would not be considered lynching 300 Paul was one of six Republican senators to vote no on expanding the COVID 19 Hate Crimes Act which would allow the U S Justice Department to review hate crimes related to COVID 19 and establish an online database 301 302 On May 28 2021 Paul voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack 303 Cannabis On cannabis legalization Paul says the issue should be left up to the states and that you ought to be able to pretty much do what you want to do as long as you don t hurt somebody else 304 305 Regarding medical use Paul has endorsed efforts to legalize in Kentucky 306 and introduced the CARERS Act in 2015 to legalize medical cannabis at the federal level 307 Paul has also supported states rights focused cannabis legislation introducing the Rohrabacher Farr amendment in 2014 308 cosponsoring the STATES Act in 2018 309 and introducing other amendments 310 311 Paul introduced the Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act in 2015 to allow cannabis businesses increased access to banks 312 Regarding industrial hemp cultivation Paul has supported efforts to legalize in Kentucky 313 314 and at the federal level as well introducing the Industrial Hemp Farming Act in 2013 315 In 2020 he introduced the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan HEMP Act to increase the THC limit of hemp from 0 3 to 1 316 317 Government surveillance Paul in New Hampshire August 13 2015 As a critic of warrantless surveillance of Americans Paul says the Fourth Amendment is equally as important as the Second Amendment and has called for conservatives to more strongly defend Fourth Amendment rights 318 319 In 2015 Paul spoke for ten and a half hours on the Senate floor against renewing provisions of the PATRIOT Act that he said were unconstitutional 320 321 Paul has called Edward Snowden a whistleblower and called for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to resign for lying about the phone metadata program that Snowden exposed 322 323 He also filed a class action lawsuit against the Obama administration seeking to end the program 324 Paul gave a speech at the University of California Berkeley in 2014 titled The N S A vs Your Privacy 325 326 Climate change Paul has not definitively accepted the scientific consensus on climate change which has found that global warming is real progressing and primarily caused by humans Paul has said pollution emissions are subject to onerous regulation 327 328 In 2018 Paul called for an investigation of a National Science Foundation grant that went towards educating meteorologists about the science of climate change Paul said the grant was not science but propagandizing 329 In a January 2020 tweet Paul said Despite climate alarmist predictions humans will likely survive for hundreds of millions of years into the future In the meantime we should begin creating atmospheres on suitable moons or planets 330 Disease control Paul has spread false claims about the safety and efficacy of vaccines 331 332 In 2009 Paul was interviewed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and suggested mandatory vaccination would be akin to martial law 333 On February 2 2015 he told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham regarding vaccinations that most of them ought be voluntary 334 His remarks generated controversy by suggesting that states should not require parents to vaccinate their children because parents should have the freedom to make that decision for their children Later that day in an interview with CNBC Paul clarified this statement commenting I m not arguing vaccines are a bad idea I think they are a good thing but I think the parent should have some input The state doesn t own your children Parents own the children and it is an issue of freedom 335 Afterward he added about vaccines I ve heard of many tragic cases of walking talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines 336 On February 3 he posted a photograph to Twitter of himself being vaccinated 337 In 2014 Paul argued that the Obama administration and the Centers for Disease Control CDC were downplaying the threat posed by Ebola virus in the United States Ultimately nine people infected with Ebola returned to the United States two nurses contracted the disease within the US and two of the returning travelers died 338 In May 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic Paul said that stay at home orders amounted to dictatorship by Kentucky s Democratic governor Andy Beshear 339 At a Senate committee hearing on September 23 2020 Paul clashed with Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 340 341 Paul asked Fauci if he had second thoughts about the CDC s mitigation recommendations including mask wearing and maintaining a six feet space of social distancing 342 Paul said New York s high fatality rate showed that mitigation efforts were insufficient 343 Fauci replied You ve misconstrued that Senator and you ve done that repetitively in the past saying that New York had succeeded in getting the virus under control by adhering to the CDC s clinical guidelines 344 In May 2021 during President Biden s push to convince more Americans to be vaccinated Paul said he personally was choosing not to get the COVID vaccine justifying his decision by saying that I ve already had the disease and I have natural immunity and that in a free country each individual would get to make the medical decision 345 He later challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on the Biden administration s vaccine mandates by arguing that they are not needed for people who have been previously infected 346 At Senate hearings in May and July 2021 Paul debated Anthony Fauci on the origin of COVID 19 gaining media attention for his concerns about the risks of lab work 347 In July 2021 Fauci responded to Paul s allegations and called him a liar 348 In August 2021 Paul was suspended from YouTube for a week under the company s misinformation policy after he published a video which falsely claims that masks are not effective 349 350 351 Paul also released a video of himself calling on people to resist public health measures to halt the spread of COVID 19 352 On August 11 2021 Rand Paul disclosed that his wife Kelley Paul had purchased a stake in Gilead Sciences which manufactures an antiviral drug used to treat COVID 19 on February 26 2020 353 Healthcare Paul supports repealing the Affordable Care Act 354 and opposes universal healthcare having once equated it to slavery 355 Term limits In November 2019 Paul signed a pledge to support a constitutional amendment to limit senators to two terms 356 Personal life Paul with his family on the Capitol steps Paul and his father Ron Paul at an event hosted in their honor at CPAC 2011 in Washington D C Paul is married to Kelley Paul nee Ashby a freelance writer They were married on October 20 1990 and have three sons William born 1992 Duncan and Robert William and Duncan attended the University of Kentucky while Robert attended a private school in the Washington D C area 357 They reside in Bowling Green Kentucky 358 They were previously active members of the Presbyterian church 359 although more recently have attended a United Methodist church 360 2017 assault On November 3 2017 Paul was assaulted by a neighbor Rene Boucher then aged 59 a retired anesthesiologist Paul who is deaf in one ear 361 was wearing noise canceling headphones while mowing his lawn reportedly enabling Boucher to tackle Paul without his own approach being noticed 362 Boucher was arrested and charged with one count of fourth degree assault and released on a 7 500 bond Paul sustained five broken ribs of which three were displaced fractures 363 364 In August 2019 part of Paul s lung required removal as a result of the injuries he suffered during the attack 365 Boucher s attorney Matthew Baker described it as a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial 364 366 According to a memorandum filed by Baker the dispute was over Paul repeatedly leaving tree yard debris near his property line with his neighbor 367 Rand Paul and his wife deny this they claim that the media have misrepresented this from the beginning and that the attack was politically motivated They claim that Boucher had threatened Donald Trump earlier and that he was a vocal hater of Trump and the GOP 368 Boucher was originally charged in Kentucky state court 369 but was later charged in federal court where he ultimately pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress 370 The state court charge was dismissed after Boucher pleaded guilty to the federal charge 370 Boucher was initially sentenced to 30 days in prison one year of probation 100 hours of community service and a 10 000 fine The federal prosecutors had sought a 21 month term and appealed the lenient sentence 370 In September 2019 the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated Boucher s sentence of 30 days ruling it was unreasonably short indicating closer review was in order and the case was sent back to the lower court for resentencing 371 An appeal to the Supreme Court was denied 372 At his resentencing Boucher received a prison term of eight months plus another six months of home confinement and was given credit for the 30 days he had previously served Prosecutors felt the downward departure from their request for a 21 month sentence was too great but the judge said Boucher s eight years in the military being forced to sell his home to pay a 580 000 judgment assessed by the state court against him in the civil case brought by Paul and his completed community service mitigated against any additional prison time Boucher expressed his regrets and contrition for his attack 373 2020 COVID 19 diagnosis Paul announced on March 22 2020 that he had tested positive for COVID 19 amid the ongoing pandemic of the disease He was the first member of the United States Senate to test positive 374 375 Paul received bipartisan criticism from his Senate colleagues after it was discovered that he attended Senate lunches and used the Senate gym while awaiting his test results he defended his actions because he had no symptoms of the illness and believed it was highly unlikely he was sick 376 On April 7 2020 Paul announced his recovery 377 2020 RNC confrontation In August 2020 immediately following his attendance at the keynote speech delivered by President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican National Convention held at the White House Paul was confronted by protestors on his way to a hotel with his wife A police perimeter was formed that escorted the Pauls away from the crowd with one of the escorting officers being pushed in the process The protestors main contention point with Paul was the shooting of Breonna Taylor and their demands for Paul to say her name However as was pointed out by several media organizations in the aftermath of the incident Paul had previously authored a bill named after Taylor aiming to make no knock warrants illegal 378 379 380 Electoral history2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky Party Candidate Votes Republican Rand Paul 755 411 55 69 5 03 Democratic Jack Conway 599 617 44 26 5 12 Total votes 1 354 833 100 0 N ARepublican hold2016 United States Senate election in Kentucky 381 Party Candidate Votes Republican Rand Paul incumbent 1 090 177 57 27 1 58 Democratic Jim Gray 813 246 42 73 1 53 Write in 42 0 00 N ATotal votes 1 903 465 100 0 N ARepublican hold2022 United States Senate election in Kentucky Party Candidate Votes Republican Rand Paul incumbent 913 257 61 81 4 54 Democratic Charles Booker 564 231 38 18 4 55 Independent Charles Lee Thomason 110 0 01 N AIndependent Billy Ray Wilson 24 0 00 N ATotal votes 1 477 622 100 0 N ARepublican hold Primary elections 2010 United States Senate Republican primary in Kentucky 382 Party Candidate Votes Republican Rand Paul 206 986 58 8 Republican Trey Grayson 124 864 35 4 Republican Bill Johnson 7 861 2 2 Republican John Stephenson 6 885 2 0 Republican Gurley L Martin 2 850 0 8 Republican Jon J Scribner 2 829 0 8 Total votes 352 275 100 0 Cumulative results of the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries Party Candidate Votes Republican Donald Trump 14 015 993 44 95 Republican Ted Cruz 7 822 100 25 08 Republican John Kasich 4 290 448 13 76 Republican Marco Rubio 3 515 576 11 27 Republican Ben Carson 857 039 2 75 Republican Jeb Bush 286 694 0 92 Republican Rand Paul 66 788 0 21 Republican Mike Huckabee 51 450 0 16 Republican Carly Fiorina 40 666 0 13 Republican Chris Christie 57 637 0 18 Republican Jim Gilmore 18 369 0 06 Republican Rick Santorum 16 627 0 05 2016 Republican National Convention delegate count Party Candidate Votes Republican Donald Trump 1 441 58 3 Republican Ted Cruz 551 22 3 Republican Marco Rubio 173 7 0 Republican John Kasich 161 6 5 Republican Ben Carson 9 0 4 Republican Jeb Bush 4 0 2 Republican Rand Paul 1 lt 0 1 Republican Mike Huckabee 1 lt 0 1 Republican Carly Fiorina 1 lt 0 1 2016 United States Senate Republican primary in Kentucky 383 Party Candidate Votes Republican Rand Paul incumbent 169 180 84 79 Republican James Gould 16 611 8 33 Republican Stephen Slaughter 13 728 6 88 Total votes 199 519 100 0 2022 United States Senate Republican primary in Kentucky 384 Party Candidate Votes Republican Rand Paul incumbent 333 051 86 4 Republican Valerie Frederick 14 018 3 6 Republican Paul V Hamilton 13 473 3 5 Republican Arnold Blankenship 10 092 2 6 Republican Tami Stanfield 9 526 2 5 Republican John Schiess 5 538 1 4 Total votes 385 698 100 0 WorksRand Paul February 2011 The Tea Party Goes to Washington Tennessee Center Street ISBN 978 1 4555 0286 8 Rand Paul September 2012 Government Bullies How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed Abused and Imprisoned by the Feds Tennessee Center Street ISBN 978 1 4555 2276 7 Rand Paul October 2015 co authored with James Randall Robison Our Presidents amp Their Prayers Proclamations of Faith by America s Leaders Tennessee Center Street ISBN 978 1 4555 3575 0 Rand Paul May 2015 Taking a Stand Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America Tennessee Center Street ISBN 978 1 4555 4955 9 Rand Paul October 2019 The Case Against Socialism New York Broadside Books ISBN 978 0 0629 5486 2 See alsoList of politicians affiliated with the Tea Party movement List of United States Congress members killed or wounded in office Physicians in the United States Congress Republican Party presidential candidates 2016References The senior US Senator from Kentucky is Mitch McConnell see also List of current United States senators Dean Kelly January 4 2022 Sen Rand Paul announces he has filed for re election WBKO Watkins Morgan January 31 2020 How Rand Paul went from calling Donald Trump an orange windbag to being a devout disciple Louisville Courier Journal Retrieved August 12 2021 Stonington Joel October 4 2010 How Old Is Rand Paul Politics Daily Retrieved December 16 2010 O Bryan Jason October 25 2010 What Is Rand Paul s Religion Politics Daily Archived from the original on November 7 2020 Retrieved January 31 2011 a b c Wolfson Andrew October 18 2010 Rand Paul rides tide of anti Washington sentiment The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Archived from the original on June 29 2011 Retrieved February 23 2011 Healy Gene May 18 2010 Rand Paul Anti Incumbent Republican Cato Institute Retrieved February 8 2011 Given father Ron s libertarian convictions people often assume that he is named after the self styled radical for capitalism who wrote Atlas Shrugged a b Leibovich Mark June 6 2010 For Paul Family Libertarian Ethos Began at Home The New York Times Retrieved June 6 2010 a b Rettig Jessica June 3 2010 10 Things You Didn t Know About Rand Paul U S News amp World Report Retrieved December 12 2010 Burnette Eric September 7 2010 The Gospel According to Paul Louisville Archived from the original on October 13 2013 Retrieved December 30 2010 a b Sherman Jerome L August 3 2007 Texas congressman brings presidential campaign to hometown Pittsburgh Post Gazette Retrieved February 12 2011 He and his wife decided to settle in the southeastern Texan town of Lake Jackson near the site of his military service For a period Paul was the only obstetrician in Brazoria County and he delivered as many as 50 babies a month a b Horowitz Jason February 4 2010 Running for Senate Rand Paul lights a fire under Kentucky GOP The Washington Post Retrieved February 23 2011 Wolfford David April 5 2010 Rand against the Machine National Review Archived from the original on November 1 2013 Retrieved February 23 2011 Watterson Mark 2008 Don t Weep for Me America How Democracy in America Became the Prince While We Slept Dorrance Publishing p 203 ISBN 978 0 8059 7890 2 Straub Bill September 19 2010 Off and running Rand Paul Evansville Courier amp Press Archived from the original on July 19 2013 Retrieved February 23 2011 a b c d e f Lizza Ryan October 6 2014 The Revenge of Rand Paul The New Yorker Retrieved October 8 2014 a b c Tanenhaus Sam Rutenberg Jim January 25 2014 Rand Paul s Mixed Inheritance The New York Times Retrieved January 27 2014 a b Kessler Glenn February 13 2015 Rand Paul s claim twice in one day that he has a biology degree The Washington Post Retrieved February 13 2015 Brammer Jack September 28 2010 Paul GQ allegations absolutely untrue Lexington Herald Leader Retrieved February 27 2011 Brammer Jack August 5 2010 Contrary to some media reports Rand Paul has no bachelor s degree Lexington Herald Leader Archived from the original on January 20 2019 Retrieved September 4 2021 Wagner Bayliss August 16 2021 Fact check Rand Paul is still licensed to practice ophthalmology USA TODAY Retrieved February 10 2022 O Rourke Clara August 13 2021 PolitiFact No Rand Paul s medical license wasn t revoked Politifact The Poynter Institute Retrieved February 10 2022 a b c Van Benschoten Amanda July 5 2010 Rand Paul s political rise surprises even those in Bowling Green The Courier Journal Retrieved March 6 2011 Harmon Hayley January 5 2011 Rand Paul s Practice Merges with Downing McPeak WBKO Archived from the original on January 7 2011 Retrieved March 12 2011 Brammer Jack April 7 2020 Rand Paul says he has recovered from COVID 19 and is volunteering at a hospital Lexington Herald Leader Retrieved April 7 2020 Son of long shot presidential hopeful to visit Montana KULR TV Billings Montana Associated Press January 21 2008 Archived from the original on May 25 2010 Retrieved April 4 2009 Thomason Andrew September 5 2010 Rand Paul s balancing act Park City Daily News Retrieved August 15 2014 Verify a Physician abop org a b c Fahrenthold David A February 1 2015 How Rand Paul tried to lead an eye doctors rebellion The Washington Post Retrieved April 9 2015 Weigel David June 14 2010 Rand Paul I passed my ophthalmology certification but took a stand against the way the board operates The Washington Post Retrieved March 22 2011 Montopoli Brian June 14 2010 Rand Paul s Addresses Ophthalmology Certification Questions CBS News Retrieved October 18 2013 Rand Paul s Doctor Credentials Questioned for Lacking Top Board s Certification Fox News Associated Press June 14 2010 Retrieved October 18 2013 Certificate of Dissolution PDF Kentucky Secretary of State Archived from the original PDF on August 23 2014 Retrieved February 5 2013 Kentucky GenSearch Board of Medical Licensure web1 ky gov Retrieved February 10 2022 a b Blackmon Douglas A October 14 2010 Rand Paul s Antitax Group Has Been Inactive for Years The Wall Street Journal Retrieved November 3 2010 56 Honored by Taxpayers Group Lexington Herald Leader April 16 1996 p C4 Retrieved April 4 2009 Legislators Honored as Anti Tax Heroes But Several Honorees Recently Voted for Tax Lexington Herald Leader April 13 2000 p A12 Retrieved April 4 2009 Collins Michael April 16 1996 8 Legislators Named Friends of Taxpayers Kentucky Post Covington Kentucky Retrieved April 4 2009 via Gale OneFile News Recognized by Kentucky Taxpayers United were Sens Gex Jay Williams and Dick Roeding and Reps Charlie Walton Paul Marcotte Katie Stine Tom Kerr Dick Murgatroyd and Jon David Reinhardt Rand Paul the group s chairman said the organization did the ranking so voters could see where their lawmakers stand on the issues Paul Rand March 29 2000 Not One Cent More Kentucky Post Retrieved April 4 2009 dead link Dr Rand Paul Upcoming Events Ron Paul 2008 Archived from the original on January 23 2008 Retrieved December 20 2007 Gaines Jim June 6 2007 Bowling Green ophthalmologist says father Rep Ron Paul R Texas stands a good chance in N H primary election Bowling Green Daily News Retrieved April 4 2009 Santora Marc December 16 2007 Reinventing the revolution The New York Times a b c d Glueck Katie February 12 2014 Rand Paul files class action suit vs NSA Politico Fuller Jaime February 12 2014 Rand Paul files suit against Obama NSA Wednesday The Washington Post a b Carroll James R February 12 2014 Rand Paul files lawsuit against NSA President Obama over phone surveillance Courier Journal Klimas Jacqueline February 12 2014 Rand Paul pandering to GOP with NSA lawsuit former Dem governor says The Washington Times Ballhaus Rebecca February 12 2014 Rand Paul files class action lawsuit over NSA surveillance The Washington Post a b Milbank Dana February 13 2014 E mails back claim that Sen Rand Paul stole NSA lawsuit The Washington Post The Tea Party Goes to Washington Nashville Center Street 2011 p 254 Lowman Stephen February 22 2011 Every Congress member to get Rand Paul s book The Washington Post Retrieved March 5 2011 ASIN 1455522759 Gavin Patrick April 18 2013 Politicians line Time s 100 list Politico Retrieved April 18 2013 Lesniewski Niels April 24 2014 Paul Gillibrand Represent the Senate on Time s 100 Most Influential Roll Call Archived from the original on May 5 2015 Retrieved August 19 2014 Sen Rand Paul TIME Retrieved March 20 2017 Ron Paul defends earmarks says anti pork McCain is just grandstanding Los Angeles Times March 11 2009 Retrieved November 3 2010 Rand Paul Set To Launch kywordsmith com May 9 2009 Archived from the original on October 16 2015 Retrieved June 6 2009 Martin T March 21 2009 Congressman Paul s Statement on His Son Rand Paul Pediatrics Week Silver Nate May 1 2009 Bunning Retirement Might Not Save GOP in Kentucky FiveThirtyEight com Archived from the original on August 1 2009 Dr Rand Paul Ready To Enter Primary For Bunning s Seat WBKO May 1 2009 Archived from the original on May 29 2012 Rand Paul To Form Exploratory Committee For U S Senate Bid kywordsmith com May 14 2009 Archived from the original on October 16 2015 Memoli Mike June 15 2009 Politics Nation KY Sen Potential Bunning Challenger Passes On Race RealClearPolitics Retrieved May 19 2010 Gerth Joseph August 5 2009 Paul says he will run for Senate Courier Journal Retrieved August 5 2009 Giroux Greg August 5 2009 Rand Paul Declares Candidacy For Kentucky Senate Seat CQ Politics Retrieved August 7 2009 dead link Keck Kristi August 6 2009 Ron Paul s son following in father s footsteps CNN Archived from the original on August 9 2009 Retrieved August 7 2009 Rand Bomb Breaks Record RandPaul2010 com August 22 2009 Retrieved November 3 2010 Brammer Jack September 1 2009 Web site promotes fight to raise money for Paul Bluegrass Politics Archived from the original on July 8 2011 Retrieved February 2 2020 Rand vs Trey Kentucky Fight September 1 2009 Archived from the original on June 10 2017 Retrieved February 2 2020 Schreiner Bruce June 23 2010 Rand Paul flips seeks money from bailout senators The Guardian London Brammer Jack July 28 2009 Some conservatives wary of Grayson Bluegrass Politics Archived from the original on October 24 2010 Retrieved February 2 2020 Brammer Jack February 27 2010 Senate ads trade barbs on defense Lexington Herald Leader Retrieved February 2 2020 Dr James Dobson Endorses Rand Paul RandPaul2010 com May 3 2010 Retrieved February 2 2020 Weigel David May 3 2010 James Dobson endorses Rand Paul apologizes for having previously backed his opponent The Washington Post Retrieved February 2 2020 2010 Kentucky Primary results Kentucky Secretary of State Retrieved February 2 2020 Official 2010 Kentucky Election Results PDF Kentucky Secretary of State Retrieved November 26 2014 Gourlay Kristin Espeland May 18 2010 Conway Wins Democratic Primary for U S Senate Seat WFPL Archived from the original on July 19 2011 Retrieved May 20 2010 Steitzer Stephanie October 29 2010 Outside groups spend big in U S Senate race Courier Journal Super PACs Sunlight Foundation Archived from the original on July 23 2012 Road to Victory Money Blast GoRandGo com Archived from the original on May 22 2010 Arnold Joe June 7 2010 Rand Paul supporters plan Moneyblast WHAS11 Archived from the original on June 10 2010 Retrieved February 2 2020 Thompson Krissah Balz Dan May 21 2010 Rand Paul comments about civil rights stir controversy The Washington Post Retrieved February 2 2020 Rand Paul Says He Has A Tea Party Mandate All Things Considered May 19 2010 NPR Retrieved September 10 2010 More raw video Rand Paul sits down with Joe Arnold to address recent controversial statements Whas11 com Archived from the original on May 27 2010 Retrieved November 3 2010 Rand Paul Sets the Record Straight Randpaul2010 com May 20 2010 Retrieved November 3 2010 Stein Sam May 21 2010 Rand Paul Obama Sounds Un American For Criticizing BP Over Gulf Oil Spill The Huffington Post Retrieved November 3 2010 Douglas William January 5 2011 Father watches with pride as Rand Paul becomes U S senator The McClatchy Company Archived from the original on September 15 2012 Retrieved January 29 2011 Four committee assignments for Rand Paul Lexington Herald Leader January 28 2011 Retrieved January 29 2011 Sonmez Felicia January 14 2011 Rand Paul announces Senate Tea Party Caucus The Washington Post Retrieved January 29 2011 Straub Bill January 28 2011 Kentucky Sen Rand Paul rolls out budget ax Evansville Courier amp Press Retrieved January 29 2011 Carroll James R January 25 2011 Senator Rand Paul seeks 500 billion in federal spending cuts The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved January 31 2011 Freddoso David January 26 2011 A detailed look at the Rand Paul spending bill The Washington Examiner Archived from the original on May 11 2011 Retrieved April 9 2011 Bruce Mary March 17 2011 Sen Paul Unveils 5 Year Budget Plan Eliminates Four Federal Agencies ABC News Retrieved March 24 2011 Sonmez Felicia February 15 2011 Senate passes short term extension of Patriot Act provisions The Washington Post Retrieved February 17 2011 Belenky Alexander May 26 2011 Patriot Act Extension Passes Senate Rand Paul Amendments Fail The Huffington Post Archived from the original on May 28 2011 Retrieved May 26 2011 Middleton Neil March 2 2011 Yarmuth and Paul vote no on stopgap spending bill WYMT TV Archived from the original on July 18 2011 Retrieved March 4 2011 Jaffe Matthew March 17 2011 Kickin the Can Senate Passes Stop Gap Spending Plan Buys Lawmakers Three More Weeks To Solve Funding Mess ABC News Retrieved April 9 2011 Wong Scott April 9 2011 Rand Paul opposes temporary stopgap Politico Retrieved April 9 2011 Bowman Quinn April 14 2011 House Senate Pass Bipartisan Budget Deal to Fund Government Public Broadcasting Service Archived from the original on January 22 2014 Retrieved May 26 2011 Straub Bill March 30 2011 Kentucky Senator Paul berates Obama for cavalierly taking us to war Evansville Courier amp Press Retrieved April 14 2011 Sonmez Felicia March 17 2011 Rand Paul opposes U S military involvement in Libya The Washington Post Retrieved April 14 2011 Klein Rick June 30 2011 Sen Rand Paul No Debt Ceiling Increase Without Balanced Budget Amendment ABC News Retrieved August 3 2011 Hayward John July 22 2011 Cut Cap and Balance Killed Human Events Retrieved August 3 2011 permanent dead link Marchmon Jay August 2 2011 Rand Paul reacts to passage of debt ceiling bill WPSD TV Archived from the original on October 4 2011 Retrieved August 3 2011 Hughes Siobhan September 8 2011 Rand Paul Calls for No Confidence on Geithner The Wall Street Journal Retrieved September 8 2011 Simon Richard October 5 2011 Rand Paul blocks pipeline safety bill frustrating Californians Los Angeles Times Retrieved October 28 2011 Wong Scott October 5 2011 Rand Paul blocking refugee funds Politico Retrieved October 4 2011 Wong Scott October 17 2011 Rand Paul ends hold on SSI benefits Politico Retrieved October 28 2011 Burns Alexander June 7 2012 Rand Paul endorses Romney Politico Paul Rand October 10 2012 Rand Paul Romney s wrong on Middle East defense spending CNN Retrieved September 19 2020 McCarthy Daniel January 3 2013 Rand Paul on the Foreign Relations Committee and What It Means The American Conservative Retrieved March 29 2013 Voorhees Josh March 7 2013 Rand Paul Ends Epic Mr Smith Style Filibuster After More Than 12 Hours Slate Retrieved March 7 2013 Sen Paul holds floor for hours in filibuster of CIA nominee over drone concerns Fox News March 6 2013 Archived from the original on March 7 2013 Retrieved March 6 2013 Ewing Philip March 6 2013 Rand Paul pulls plug on nearly 13 hour filibuster on drones Politico Retrieved March 6 2013 Michaels Jim March 7 2013 Rand Paul ends epic filibuster over Brennan USA Today Retrieved March 7 2013 Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney 3 7 2013 whitehouse gov March 7 2013 Rand Paul happy with drone response CNN March 3 2013 Retrieved March 3 2013 Wheaton Sarah March 7 2013 Brennan Confirmed to Lead the C I A The New York Times Retrieved November 1 2013 Allen Jonathan March 25 2013 Rand Paul and Ted Cruz threaten filibuster on guns Politico Retrieved March 25 2013 Gun bill clears Senate hurdle as filibuster falls short Fox News April 11 2013 a b Vas Nicole March 5 2019 McConnell eyes Trump Paul and reelection when it comes to emergency fight The Hill Retrieved August 27 2019 Trinko Katrina July 31 2014 From Rand to Mitch National Review Retrieved August 9 2013 Arkin James July 19 2013 Rand Paul No government bailout for Detroit Politico Retrieved October 16 2013 Clary Greg September 1 2013 Rand Paul U S involvement in Syria a mistake CNN Retrieved September 16 2013 Blake Aaron September 13 2013 Rand Paul Opposition to military action led to Syria diplomacy The Washington Post Retrieved October 16 2013 Carroll James R October 28 2013 Sen Rand Paul warns science could be used to alter gene pool The Courier Journal Louisville KY Retrieved October 28 2013 Yarvitz Michael October 29 2013 The Rand Paul plagiarism read along The Rachel Maddow Show MSNBC Contorno Steve Kliegman Julie November 1 2013 Rachel Maddow says Rand Paul s Gattaca speech was totally ripped off of Wikipedia PolitiFact Archived from the original on August 15 2020 Miller Jake November 1 2013 Critics pounce on Rand Paul s borrowed language CBS News Archived from the original on January 20 2019 Martin Jonathan November 4 2013 Senator Rand Paul faces new charges of plagiarism The New York Times Kaczynski Andrew November 2 2013 Three pages of Rand Paul s book were plagiarized from think tanks BuzzFeed Archived from the original on August 28 2020 Kaczynski Andrew November 7 2013 More instances of plagiarism in Rand Paul s book BuzzFeed Archived from the original on October 17 2019 Kaczynski Andrew November 4 2013 Sections of Rand Paul s op ed on drug sentencing plagiarized from article week earlier BuzzFeed Archived from the original on June 5 2020 Blake Aaron November 6 2013 After plagiarism allegations Rand Paul s Washington Times column nixed The Washington Post Archived from the original on May 26 2020 Rutenberg Jim Parker Ashley November 5 2013 After Plagiarism Charges Paul Announces Office Restructuring The New York Times Archived from the original on October 7 2019 Retrieved November 5 2013 Costa Robert February 25 2014 Rand Paul GOP shouldn t tweak Russia over Ukraine The Washington Post Lally Kathy Englund Will Booth William March 1 2014 Russian parliament approves use of troops in Ukraine The Washington Post Higgins Andrew Myers Steven Lee February 26 2014 Putin orders drills in Crimea clash shows region s divide The New York Times Hook Janet O Connor Patrick March 5 2014 GOP hawks are on the rise The Wall Street Journal a b Paul Rand March 9 2014 U S must take strong action against Putin s aggression TIME Bade Rachael March 2 2014 Rand Paul in cross hairs of tax evasion war Politico Retrieved March 5 2014 2014 Distinguished Service Award Dinner Honoring Senator Rand Paul Center for the National Interest Retrieved January 15 2020 Paul Rand October 23 2014 Rand Paul The Case for Conservative Realism The National Interest Retrieved January 15 2020 Everett Burgess Rand Paul Fire Brennan Politico Retrieved August 3 2014 Weigel Dave December 19 2014 Rand Paul Battles Marco Rubio Over Cuba Policy Bloomberg L P Retrieved December 19 2014 Sen Paul Proposes an Audit of the Federal Reserve Rand PAC January 28 2015 Archived from the original on February 4 2015 Retrieved February 4 2015 Sen Rand Paul Introduces the FAIR Act Rand PAC January 27 2015 Archived from the original on February 4 2015 Retrieved February 4 2015 Kim Seung Min Byers Alex Rand Paul calls it a night after 10 1 2 hours Politico Retrieved May 21 2015 Collinson Stephen Diamond Jeremy May 22 2015 Rand Paul seizes political moment with NSA protest CNN Retrieved September 19 2020 Jacobs Ben Roberts Dan Ackerman Spencer Timm Trevor June 1 2015 NSA reform advances as Senate moves to vote on USA Freedom Act as it happened The Guardian Retrieved September 19 2020 Atkin Emily February 15 2016 Rand Paul It s A Conflict Of Interest For Obama To Nominate A Supreme Court Justice ThinkProgress org Kazin Matthew May 6 2016 Obama Calls on Congress to Reform U S Tax Code Fox Business Devaney Tim May 20 2016 Paul calls for end of gun free zones The Hill Weigel David June 6 2016 Rand Paul s tribute to Muhammad Ali Trying to end Selective Service The Washington Post All Information Except Text for H R 608 Stop Arming Terrorists Act U S Congress January 23 2017 Retrieved February 2 2020 Thomas Nathan July 3 2017 The Two Non Interventionists HuffPost Retrieved February 2 2020 John McCain Rand Paul Now Working for Vladimir Putin Fox News March 15 2017 Retrieved March 20 2017 John McCain accuses Rand Paul of working for Vladimir Putin Yahoo News March 16 2017 Retrieved March 20 2017 Collins Eliza March 16 2017 Rand Paul and John McCain trade jabs as Paul calls McCain past his prime unhinged USA Today John McCain Slams Rand Paul Over Syria He Doesn t Have Any Real Influence TIME April 7 2017 Archived from the original on April 8 2017 King Alexandra April 8 2017 Rand Paul Syria strikes not in the national interest CNN Retrieved April 12 2017 Lardner Richard April 7 2017 Lawmakers slam Trump for bypassing Congress on Syria strike Boston com Associated Press Retrieved April 12 2017 Inhofe James Paul Rand et al May 27 2017 Letter to the Honorable Donald J Trump James M Inhofe U S Senator for Oklahoma Retrieved June 7 2017 McCarthy Tom Gambino Lauren June 1 2017 The Republicans who urged Trump to pull out of Paris deal are big oil darlings The Guardian Retrieved June 1 2017 Hawk Thomas A August 3 2017 Meet the 5 Lawmakers Who Voted Against the Russia Sanctions Bill Independent Voter News Everett Burgess Kim Seung Min October 17 2017 Rand Paul opposes Senate GOP budget Politico Carney Jordain February 12 2018 GOP senators introduce Trump immigration framework The Hill Carney Jordain February 17 2018 The 14 GOP senators who voted against Trump s immigration framework The Hill Bycoffe Aaron January 30 2017 Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump FiveThirtyEight Retrieved August 24 2018 a b Sonmez Felicia Cha Ariana Eunjung December 9 2018 Republicans defend Trump amid brewing legal storm The Washington Post Retrieved February 2 2020 Sullivan Peter January 25 2017 Rand Paul unveils ObamaCare replacement The Hill Retrieved September 19 2020 Fox Lauren Mattingly Phil March 3 2017 In chaotic scene Rand Paul demands to see the House GOP s Obamacare repeal bill CNN Retrieved September 19 2020 Everett Burgess March 8 2017 Rand stands up to Trump on Obamacare Politico Watkins Eli March 12 2017 Sen Paul slams Rep Ryan on health care CNN Retrieved September 19 2020 Killough Ashley March 15 2017 Rand Paul says Paul Ryan selling bill of goods to Trump CNN Retrieved September 19 2020 Carney Jordain March 24 2017 Rand Paul takes victory lap on GOP health bill The Hill Firozi Paulina April 2 2017 Trump plays golf with Rand Paul budget chief at Trump Golf Club in Virginia The Hill President Trump hit the links at one of his golf courses on Sunday with Sen Rand Paul R Ky and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney Trump will reportedly discuss a variety of topics with Paul and Mulvaney including healthcare at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling Va Pytalki Jan April 2 2017 Trump talks healthcare with Republican critic on golf course Reuters Senator Rand Paul and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney joined the president at Trump National Golf Club outside of Washington The trio was discussing a variety of topics including healthcare said White House Deputy Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Sullivan Peter June 15 2017 Rand Paul denounces new entitlements in emerging health bill The Hill Sullivan Peter September 11 2017 Paul Cassidy Graham health care bill not going anywhere The Hill Roubein Rachel September 15 2017 Rand Paul says can t support last ditch GOP ObamaCare repeal The Hill Beavers Olivia September 19 2017 Paul calls new ObamaCare repeal bill a trillion dollar boondoggle The Hill McCaskill Nolan D September 22 2017 Rand Paul to Trump I won t be bribed or bullied into supporting Graham Cassidy bill Politico a b Everett Burgess Rand Paul rips Romney for criticizing Trump Politico Retrieved January 3 2019 Chiu Allyson July 18 2019 Jon Stewart accuses Rand Paul of fiscal responsibility virtue signaling in stalling 9 11 victims funding The Washington Post Retrieved July 18 2019 Wise Justin July 18 2019 Rand Paul accuses Jon Stewart of being part of left wing mob after criticism over 9 11 victim fund The Hill Retrieved July 21 2019 Everett Burgess Levine Marianne November 5 2019 Republicans break with Trump and Rand Paul on whistleblower unmasking Politico Retrieved November 8 2019 Sen Rand Paul Blasts YouTube for Censorship After Floor Speech Is Removed Rand Paul United States Senate February 13 2020 Retrieved May 6 2020 2020 Congressional Record Vol 166 Page S824 https www congress gov 116 crec 2020 02 04 CREC 2020 02 04 senate pdf Tobin Ben February 13 2020 YouTube censors Rand Paul by removing Trump impeachment question and he s not happy The Courier Journal Louisville KY Retrieved May 6 2020 Rand Paul discloses 16 months late that his wife bought stock in company behind covid treatment The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved August 12 2021 a b Wilkie Christina Mangan Dan August 12 2021 Rand Paul s wife bought shares in Covid treatment maker Gilead in early days of virus the couple s only individual stock purchase in years CNBC Retrieved August 13 2021 Davis Susan September 10 2020 Senate GOP COVID 19 Relief Bill Fails Chances Of Bipartisan Deal Before Election Dim NPR Retrieved September 13 2020 Watkins Morgan September 10 2020 The one Republican who voted against Mitch McConnell s COVID 19 relief bill Rand Paul Louisville Courier Journal Gannett Retrieved September 13 2020 Watkins Morgan Sen Rand Paul falsely claims presidential election was stolen siding with Donald Trump The Courier Journal Retrieved December 20 2020 PolitiFact Fact checking Rand Paul s unsupported claim about fraud in the presidential election politifact Retrieved February 13 2021 a b Arnholz Jack January 24 2021 Sen Rand Paul continues making false claims of 2020 election fraud ABC News Retrieved January 30 2021 Sen Rand Paul falsely claims presidential election was stolen siding with Donald Trump Louisville Courier Journal December 16 2020 We simply cannot destroy the constitution our laws and the electoral college process Press release January 6 2021 Whitaker Jordan January 6 2021 Kentucky lawmakers condemn violent protests on Capitol Hill WYMT Retrieved January 10 2021 Tobin Ben January 6 2021 We will not bow to lawlessness McConnell slams storming of US Capitol by pro Trump mob The Courier Journal Retrieved January 10 2021 Morgan David January 27 2021 Senate Republicans unite behind failed effort to challenge Trump impeachment trial Reuters Retrieved February 13 2021 Foran Clare Raju Manu Barrett Ted January 27 2021 Rand Paul calls impeachment dead on arrival after most Republicans signal that trial is unconstitutional CNN Retrieved February 13 2021 Gregorian Dareh February 13 2021 Trump acquitted in impeachment trial 7 GOP Senators vote with Democrats to convict NBC News Retrieved February 13 2021 Spocchia Gino January 13 2022 Video resurfaces of Rand Paul admitting misinformation works The Independent Retrieved January 21 2022 Zaslav Ali Barrett Ted May 12 2022 Rand Paul blocks bipartisan effort to swiftly pass Ukraine aid CNN Retrieved May 13 2022 Senate Announces Committee Leadership and Power Sharing Agreement ACA International February 4 2021 Retrieved February 7 2021 Weinger Mackenzie January 28 2013 Rand Paul GOP must evolve and adapt Politico Retrieved August 20 2013 a b Tea party State of the Union 2013 rebuttal Rand Paul response full text Politico February 13 2013 Retrieved August 20 2013 Rand Paul Big Government s Not A Friend To Those Who Are Trying To Get Ahead All Things Considered February 14 2013 NPR Retrieved August 20 2013 Rand Paul wins 2015 CPAC straw poll Fox News February 28 2015 Retrieved March 1 2015 Cha Ariana February 28 2015 Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll with Scott Walker a close second The Washington Post Retrieved March 2 2015 A candidate s popularity with the Conservative Political Action Conference hasn t necessarily been a great predictor of his or her success with the larger GOP electorate as attendees tend to have a stronger libertarian bent than the Republican majority Holland Steve February 28 2015 Senator Rand Paul wins straw poll in boost to 2016 presidential prospects Reuters Retrieved March 2 2015 Whether the victory for Paul will have long lasting benefit is unclear since his libertarian views may not have broad appeal in the Republican Party Peoples Steve Obamacare under attack as conservatives eye 2016 Yahoo News Associated Press Retrieved April 14 2014 Sherfinski David November 7 2014 Rand Paul Clinton Democrats became Hillary s losers during election landslide The Washington Times Retrieved February 4 2015 Costa Robert January 13 2015 Rand Paul announces campaign manager for likely 2016 campaign The Washington Post Retrieved February 4 2015 Ballhaus Rebecca April 8 2015 Rand Paul Sprints to 1 Million Fundraising Mark The Wall Street Journal Epstein Jennifer April 19 2011 Rand Paul files for reelection race five years away Politico Raju Manu May 7 2013 Rand Paul Marco Rubio face 2016 bind Politico Berman Matt April 2 2014 Marco Rubio Won t Run for Senate in 2016 if He Runs for President National Journal Retrieved April 2 2014 Youngman Sam March 18 2014 Kentucky Senate passes bill to let Rand Paul run for re election and president in 2016 Kentucky com Retrieved April 18 2014 Silverleib Alan April 17 2014 Dead for now Kentucky bill allowing twin Paul 2016 runs CNN Retrieved July 30 2018 The Obscure Kentucky Contests That Could Alter Rand Paul s 2016 Plans National Journal August 14 2014 Retrieved October 27 2014 Doherty Brian September 2 2014 Will Rand Paul Have to Risk His Senate Seat for the Presidency Reason com Retrieved October 27 2014 Democrats maintain control of Kentucky House of Representatives Lexington Herald Leader November 4 2014 Retrieved November 6 2014 Wilson Reid November 4 2014 Democrats hold Kentucky House a minor blow to Rand Paul s presidential hopes The Washington Post Retrieved November 6 2014 Raju Manu November 5 2014 Adjusting the rules for Rand Politico Retrieved November 6 2014 Hook Janet February 24 2015 Mitch McConnell Backs Rand Paul s Bid to Run for Both Senate White House The Wall Street Journal Retrieved February 26 2015 In a shift first reported by the Lexington Herald Leader a McConnell aide said the senator had decided to support Mr Paul s proposal that the Kentucky GOP establish a presidential selection caucus in March separate from the state s May primary for other offices Caldwell Leigh Ann February 3 2016 Kentucky Sen Rand Paul Suspends Republican Presidential Campaign NBC News Retrieved July 30 2018 Fineman Howard July 12 2013 Rand Paul Torn Between Tea Party Fire White House Dreams The Huffington Post Solomon Deborah March 29 2010 Questions for Rand Paul Tea Time Interview The New York Times Retrieved October 23 2010 Stewart Martina May 4 2010 I m very serious about running Ron Paul s son says CNN Retrieved November 15 2010 Like his father the son also favors notions of limited government Libertarian would be a good description Rand Paul told CNN because libertarians believe in freedom in all aspects of your life your economic life as well as your social life as well as your personal life Newton Small Jay March 17 2010 Is Rand Paul Good or Bad for Republicans TIME Retrieved March 30 2014 They thought all along that they could call me a libertarian and hang that label around my neck like an albatross but I m not a libertarian Sahadi Jeanne April 7 2015 Rand Paul s flat tax plan CNN Retrieved April 22 2015 Kaczynski Andrew June 22 2015 That Time Rand Paul Told Alex Jones He Wouldn t Join The Bilderberg Group Out Of Fear Of Being Shamed By Him BuzzFeed News Retrieved July 21 2018 Seaman David April 19 2012 Senator Rand Paul s Amazingly Frank Interview With Alex Jones Business Insider Retrieved July 21 2018 Nuzzi Olivia July 28 2014 Rand Paul s Daddy Issues The Daily Beast Retrieved July 21 2018 Weigel David April 10 2015 How Would President Rand Paul Handle the Media Anyway Bloomberg Retrieved July 21 2018 The Voter s Self Defense System Vote Smart Retrieved December 5 2018 Bycoffe Aaron July 3 2020 Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump FiveThirtyEight Retrieved July 3 2020 Viebeck Elise March 15 2013 Rand Paul floats fetal rights bill The Hill Kasperowicz Pete June 26 2012 Reid vows to block vote on Paul s life at conception amendment to flood bill The Hill Archived from the original on October 30 2013 Lynch Rene May 12 2012 Sen Rand Paul Didn t think Obama s view could get any gayer Los Angeles Times Urbina Ian November 25 2009 In Kentucky a Senate candidate with a pedigree for agitation The New York Times Ron Paul s son borrows tactics for Senate bid in Kentucky Evansville Courier amp Press Evansville IN Associated Press November 11 2009 Abad Santos Alexander March 20 2013 Rand Paul isn t 100 pro life anymore The Atlantic Wire Archived from the original on October 30 2013 Retrieved July 10 2013 H R 3 No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act Congress gov January 20 2011 Retrieved October 4 2020 Beavers Olivia September 5 2017 Paul calls for bipartisan DACA solution The Hill 11 Senate Republicans voted to block Trump s border wall emergency declaration Vox September 25 2019 Retrieved October 4 2020 Rand Paul on the Issues The New York Times April 7 2015 Boaz David April 6 2015 Is Rand Paul a Real Libertarian Newsweek Retrieved April 10 2015 His recent comments on gay marriage personally offended and moral crisis created a libertarian backlash Urbina Ian November 25 2009 In Kentucky a Senate Candidate With a Pedigree for Agitation The New York Times New York Retrieved March 2 2015 Paul Rand June 28 2015 Rand Paul Government Should Get Out of the Marriage Business Altogether Time Retrieved October 4 2020 Stolberg Sheryl Gay February 25 2021 At a Senate hearing and on the House floor emotional debates erupt over transgender rights The New York Times Retrieved March 3 2021 Foran Clare February 25 2021 Patty Murray rebukes Rand Paul for harmful misrepresentations at historic confirmation hearing for Rachel Levine CNN Retrieved March 3 2021 Ward Jon April 1 2013 Rand Paul Supports Some Military Bases On Foreign Soil A Big Difference From His Dad The Huffington Post Retrieved August 20 2013 Johnson Eliana June 22 2014 Rand Paul Blame Bush Not Obama National Review Retrieved April 8 2015 Miller Jake June 22 2014 Rand Paul Blame Dick Cheney for Iraq violence not Obama CBS News Retrieved July 6 2014 Perry Rick July 11 2014 Isolationist policies make the threat of terrorism even greater The Washington Post Retrieved July 12 2014 Bennett John T July 11 2014 GOP s Paul Doubles Down on Isolationism DefenseNews com Archived from the original on July 15 2014 Retrieved July 14 2014 Rogers Alex March 26 2015 Rand Paul Proposes Boosting Defense Spending TIME Retrieved March 26 2015 Akinyemi Aaron June 22 2014 Republican Senator Rand Paul Accuses US of Arming Isis Terrorists International Business Times Retrieved July 27 2014 Sarlin Benjy September 19 2014 Rand Paul s hawkish turn breeds unease at libertarian conference MSNBC Retrieved September 19 2014 Rogers Alex September 10 2014 Rand Paul Calls Obama s ISIS Plan Unconstitutional but he does support the intervention TIME Retrieved September 21 2014 Paul Rand October 23 2014 Rand Paul The Case for Conservative Realism The National Interest Retrieved October 23 2014 Paul Rand RandPaul December 19 2018 I am happy to see a President who can declare victory and bring our troops out of a war It s been a long time since that has happened Tweet Retrieved June 25 2019 via Twitter Kutsch Tom August 14 2016 Senators consider vote to block United States arms deal to Saudi Arabia report The Guardian Nichols John June 14 2017 Rand Paul and Most Senate Democrats Almost Blocked Trump s Saudi Arms Deal The Nation a b Sen Rand Paul On Yemen And U S Foreign Interventions National Public Radio April 27 2018 Kass John February 8 2017 Sen Rand Paul s war with the neocons Chicago Tribune Shelbourne Mallory February 7 2017 Rand Paul urges Trump not to open State Department to neocons TheHill Mattingly Phil Fox Lauren April 23 2018 Mike Pompeo approved out of committee following Rand Paul flipping his vote CNN Retrieved April 23 2018 Demirjian Karoun March 2 2018 Sen Rand Paul opposes confirming Trump s secretary of state and CIA nominees The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved April 23 2018 Lacy Akela Schwarz Jon June 14 2019 Mike Pompeo Said Congress Doesn t Need to Approve War With Iran 2020 Democrats Aren t Having It The Intercept Givas Nick June 20 2019 Rand Paul wants Congress involved in Iran decision says war would be a bigger mistake than Iraq Fox News Retrieved September 19 2020 Lemieux Melissa January 4 2020 Rand Paul Slams Trump Over Airstrike If You Don t Want Perpetual War You Don t Keep Sending More Targets Newsweek Retrieved September 19 2020 US bill on Russia sanctions prompts German Austrian outcry Deutsche Welle June 15 2017 Retrieved February 2 2020 Samuels Brett July 15 2018 Rand Paul on Russia indictments We should focus on protecting elections instead of witch hunt on the president TheHill Retrieved July 15 2018 Balluck Kyle July 19 2018 Rand Paul blocks Sanders s Russia resolution calls it crazy hatred against Trump TheHill Retrieved July 22 2018 Everett Burgess Levine Marianne May 9 2019 Burr holds firm despite GOP anger over Don Jr subpoena Politico Retrieved May 11 2019 Anapol Avery July 10 2018 Senate votes to support NATO ahead of Trump summit TheHill Retrieved July 24 2018 Carney Jordain June 1 2020 Senate rejects Paul proposal on withdrawing troops from Afghanistan The Hill Retrieved September 19 2020 Guardian staff and agencies May 12 2022 Senator Rand Paul single handedly holds up 40bn US aid for Ukraine The Guardian Tulsi Gabbard Rand Paul Placed on List of Russian Propagandists by Ukraine Newsweek July 26 2022 Archived from the original on July 26 2022 Retrieved July 26 2022 O Loughlin Ciara Mulgrew Seoirse July 27 2022 Clare Daly responds after Ukraine puts her on list of people who allegedly promote Russian propaganda Independent ie Paul Rand March 28 2016 Paul Keep pushing criminal justice reform in Ky The Courier Journal Retrieved January 1 2020 Clark Dartunorro Shabad Rebecca December 10 2018 GOP Sen Rand Paul singles out McConnell on criminal justice bill calls for public pressure on majority leader NBC News Retrieved January 1 2020 Bipartisan Legislation To Give Judges More Flexibility For Federal Sentences Introduced Patrick Leahy U S Senator for Vermont Press release Washington D C March 20 2013 Everett Burgess June 22 2014 Paul aims for minority voters Politico Retrieved April 9 2021 U S Senators Booker and Paul Introduce Legislation Calling for Criminal Justice Reform Cory Booker U S Senator for New Jersey Press release Washington D C July 8 2014 Shackford Scott July 24 2014 Sen Rand Paul Wants to Make it Harder for the Feds to Take Your Stuff Reason Retrieved January 1 2020 Campbell Colin July 25 2014 Here s Rand Paul s Plan To Reform Drug Laws Business Insider Retrieved January 1 2020 Sens Paul Schatz amp Reps Brown Ellison Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Help Expand Use of Police Body Cameras Rand Paul U S Senator for Kentucky Press release Washington D C March 26 2015 Sens Rand Paul and Brian Schatz Introduce the Stop Militarizing Our Law Enforcement Act Rand Paul U S Senator for Kentucky Press release Washington D C May 21 2015 Wheeler Lydia August 5 2015 Bill would ban solitary confinement in juvy The Hill Retrieved June 9 2020 Harris Paul Introduce Bill to Encourage States to Reform or Replace Unjust Costly Money Bail System Kamala D Harris U S Senator for California Press release Washington D C July 20 2017 Archived from the original on February 5 2019 Sens Paul Gillibrand Introduce Bill Protecting Pregnant Women in Federal Custody Rand Paul U S Senator for Kentucky Press release Washington D C November 14 2018 Carney Jordain June 11 2020 Rand Paul introduces bill to end no knock warrants The Hill Retrieved June 17 2020 Paul Rand June 24 2013 Rand Paul Drug war targets minorities USA Today Retrieved January 1 2020 Paul Rand August 16 2013 Paul The madness of mandatory minimums The Washington Times Archived from the original on August 31 2013 Retrieved January 1 2020 Foran Clare Fox Lauren June 4 2020 Emotional debate erupts over anti lynching legislation as Cory Booker and Kamala Harris speak out against Rand Paul amendment CNN Retrieved June 5 2020 Barrett Ted Foran Clare June 3 2020 Rand Paul holds up anti lynching legislation as he seeks changes to bill CNN Retrieved June 6 2020 Rogers Alex April 14 2021 Senate advances bill to combat surge of anti Asian hate crimes CNN Retrieved April 14 2021 On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Motion to Invoke Cloture Re Motion to Proceed to S 937 United States Senate April 14 2021 Retrieved April 14 2021 Which senators supported a Jan 6 Capitol riot commission The Washington Post May 28 2021 Skye Dan October 14 2015 The High Times Interview Rand Paul High Times Retrieved January 1 2020 Price Autumn February 1 2018 Rand Paul goes into detail with Stephen Colbert on how the drug war unfairly targets black and brown people Rare Retrieved January 1 2020 Senator Rand Paul shows support for medical marijuana bill WKYT March 9 2018 Retrieved January 1 2020 Sens Paul Booker amp Gillibrand Announce CARERS Act Rand Paul U S Senator for Kentucky Press release Washington D C March 10 2015 Ferner Matt Reilly Ryan J June 19 2014 Senate Could Follow House In Blocking DEA From Targeting Medical Marijuana HuffPost Retrieved January 1 2020 FAQ What the STATES Act Would Do and Why It s a Game Changer Leafly June 7 2018 Retrieved January 1 2020 Nelson Steven July 25 2014 Rand Paul Senate Torch Bearer on Pot Reform Wants Colleagues on Record U S News amp World Report Retrieved January 1 2020 Angell Tom January 20 2018 Rand Paul Pushes Marijuana Amendments On Funding Bill Marijuana Moment Retrieved January 1 2020 Thiruvengadam Meena July 10 2015 Rand Paul backs effort to bring banking to legal marijuana businesses Yahoo Finance Retrieved January 1 2020 Paul Rand December 15 2012 Ky voices Rand Paul Legalize hemp to aid Ky economy Lexington Herald Leader Archived from the original on January 3 2020 Retrieved January 1 2020 Gabriel Trip February 12 2013 Hemp Growing Finds Allies of a New Stripe in Kentucky The New York Times Retrieved January 1 2020 Sens McConnell and Paul Co sponsor Industrial Hemp Legislation Rand Paul U S Senator for Kentucky Press release Washington D C February 14 2013 Archived from the original on February 22 2013 Jaeger Kyle December 16 2020 Rand Paul Files Bill To Increase Hemp THC Limit And Address Other Industry Concerns Marijuana Moment Retrieved December 25 2020 Dr Rand Paul Introduces HEMP Act to Relieve Unnecessary Constraints on Hemp Industry Provide Transparency and Certainty Press release Washington D C senate gov December 15 2020 Condon Stephanie March 7 2014 Rand Paul Electing lesser of two evils isn t good enough CBS News Retrieved May 18 2020 Condon Stephanie February 27 2015 Rand Paul GOP needs to care about more than gun rights CBS News Retrieved May 18 2020 Siddiqui Sabrina May 21 2015 Rand Paul ends marathon filibuster but fails to block Patriot Act The Guardian Retrieved May 18 2020 Raju Manu May 30 2015 Rand Paul I will force the expiration of the PATRIOT Act Politico Retrieved May 18 2020 Geller Eric November 12 2015 Rand Paul praises Edward Snowden for doing a service to the U S The Daily Dot Retrieved May 18 2020 Trujillo Mario December 19 2013 Paul Clapper should resign for lying to Congress The Hill Retrieved May 18 2020 link, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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