Over the weekend, the annual Fancy Farm political picnic, which has a reputation as one of the most important political events in the state, was held in western Kentucky. There, the Mayor of Lexington and openly gay Senate candidate Jim Gray took the stage to expose his Republican opponent, Senator Rand Paul.
“I want to introduce myself to Senator McConnell,” the Victory Fund endorsed candidate began, “I am Jim Gray and I am the guy who is going to beat Rand Paul.”
Gray then mentioned how many of his friends told him not to make waves and be careful at the contentious event.
But the Mayor was anything but hesitant. In just five minutes Gray went on to highlight Rand Paul’s dishonest ambitions and history with campaign debt. First, Gray criticized his opponent for not caring about the people of Kentucky, but rather his own desire to make it to the White House. This point was highlighted by Gray’s supporters cheering him on during the event wearing shirts that read, “Rand Paul 2020.” The shirt also had a quote by Donald Trump—whom Paul has endorsed—that read “Rand Paul is using the people of Kentucky.”
Gray then went on to discuss how his company has created jobs for Kentuckians and his role during the economic recovery as mayor. While Gray was leading these initiatives Paul was running a doomed presidential campaign and racking up thousands of dollars in still-unpaid campaign debt.
Jim Gray put it best when he said, “Senator Paul and I both have the same goal: to get him out of the Senate.”
If elected, Gray will be the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Watch the full speech below:
