Posted on 12/17/2014 9:46:06 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Defeated Democrat declines to address her political future.
Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s secretary of State, is threatening to take Rand Paul to court to block him from running both for president and reelection to the Senate in 2016.
In her first television interview since Sen. Mitch McConnell routed her by 15 points last month, the Democratic Senate nominee declared that she will not be “bullied” by Paul, who is a heavy favorite to win a second Senate term if he’s allowed to stay on the ballot.
“The law is clear,” Grimes told WHAS-TV in Louisville. “You can’t be on the ballot twice for two offices.”
“We’ll look to the court for any guidance that is needed,” she added. “And at the end of the day, we’re not going to be bullied.”
Grimes also told the Louisville ABC affiliate in the interview published on Wednesday that she has not decided whether to seek a second term as secretary of State in the 2015 election.
The 36-year-old left no doubt that she continues to harbor political ambitions beyond the Bluegrass State’s chief elections official. She would be a top Democratic recruit to run for Senate in 2016 if Paul bows out.
Grimes said she knows “there’s a bigger plan in store” and pronounced herself “excited for 2015.” She’s also been talked about as a Democratic primary challenger to Attorney General Jack Conway in next year’s Kentucky governor’s race or against GOP Rep. Andy Barr in 2016.
“There’s encouragement from all different directions, no shortage of opinions, that’s for sure,” she told the station. “But no election should be run unless it’s in your heart and the facts are there to win, and that’s what I will weigh and to make sure is there before I make any determination.”
Grimes’ comments about Paul seem aimed as much at rallying her liberal base after a tough loss as anything else. If she doesn’t run for reelection as the state’s chief election official, she would have no legal basis to challenge Paul’s dual candidacy.
Republicans failed to take over the Kentucky state House last month, which would have given them control of the state legislature and the ability to override the veto of Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Steve Beshear. That would have enabled Paul’s allies to change the law to allow him to appear on the ballot twice, as some other states allow; Vice President Joe Biden was elected to a new Senate term in Delaware the same day he ran as Barack Obama’s running mate.
Paul has announced that he will run for reelection to the Senate, and his team expresses confidence that they will find a way legally to allow him to also run for president.
A Paul spokesman did not have an immediate comment on Grimes’ legal threat.
Same diff.
Many said they were voting for her.
It was crazy.
A bold Democrat will argue that Joe Lieberman got to do it, so equal protection should allow them to do it, too, even if they are in another state. A Republican, however, can't change the rules of an election once it's begun.
-PJ
Senator Paul knows he must make a decision. Who knows what he will do. I am sure there is someone in Kentucky that can run for Senate if he decides to run for President. No big deal really. Just Senator Paul’s decision and nobody else.
Do you have some examples?
A bold Democrat will argue that Joe Lieberman got to do it, so equal protection should allow them to do it, too, even if they are in another state.
So much for states rights. I am glad that different states get to make laws they want. Senator Paul thought he was going to have control of both state congresses after 2014....oops. Poor planning on his part.
I think the GOPe and the Senate would be better off with Grimes and without Ditch Mitch being present, especially as the GOPe is in “control”.
Shouldn’t he know by the time he has to file to run for Senator whether or not he has a chance to be on the ballot for President?
Rand should know NOW.
Not so much wanted her to win but Mitch to lose. Big difference.
How much did McConnell pay her to say this?
Mitch heading into retirement immediately is the goal.
I think America and Kentucky will be a better place if Rand doesn’t run for either office.
We’ve had a lot of clear laws ignored lately, go for it Rand dare them to stop you
Yep, looks like she has her “poor loser” hormones all riled up. For some reason wimen seen to get all p.o.’d when they lose.
And if RP was the Veep choice?
“if that is what the law of Ky says then fine...”
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That’s EXACTLY what Kentucky state law says. Paul was trying to get it changed. IMHO, they should leave the law exactly as it is. If Rand Paul decides to run for the Presidential nomination instead of Senate reelection and does not make it, he’ll recede into a well deserved obscurity and be replaced by a conservative Republican who IS NOT PRO-AMNESTY as Paul is.
So it is okay to be on the ticket only once for each office? When has anyone been on a ticket twice for each of two offices?
In the event Senator Paul declines to run for another term, the odds are overwhelming that a McConnell ally will be the replacement.
Mitch pretty much runs the Kentucky GOP, especially at the state level. And even after a rare setback, such as Rand’s upset win, he managed to co-opt the junior Senator almost immediately.
The new Majority Leader is a master politician. It’s a shame he falls so short when it comes to statesmanship.
After Mitch helped Cochran and then came out against the Tea Party, I mentioned I was willing to send her money. Mitch is an @().
Thanks, that is one freeper, were there others?
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