(LEX 18) — Incumbent Senator Rand Paul will face off against former state lawmaker Charles Booker in the 2022 Senate Election in November, AP projects.
Paul is hoping to win a 3rd 6-year term in the Senate. He says there are unresolved issues he wants to continue to push back on in Washington, D.C.
Booker previously ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020 on a progressive platform, touting the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, but ended up losing to former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath by nearly 3 percentage points.
Booker has faced attacks for being too progressive for Kentucky. He says the issues he's fighting for are not partisan. He believes they're what every normal Kentucky family wants.
"I'm fighting for issues regardless of [one's] party because at the end of the day, putting food on the table, keeping your lights on - doesn't matter what your party is," said Booker.
Paul has faced attacks for not listening to what Kentucky wants, but he says he is listening and he believes people want less government overall.
"People do want smaller government, balanced budgets, lower taxes," said Paul. "I meet almost nobody - in fact, I can't remember meeting anybody who wants socialism or who wants to defund the police."
A poll released earlier this year by Mason-Dixon says Senator Paul holds a 55% to 39% advantage over Booker. 6% are undecided.
Mason-Dixon also broke the poll results down by region.
In the Lexington/Bluegrass region, 47% of those polled chose Paul to keep his seat, compared to 44% Booker, and 9% undecided.
In the Louisville Metro area, 51% chose Booker as the next senator, compared to the 45% who chose Paul, and 4% undecided.
