Senator Rand Paul secured his shot at reelection after winning the Kentucky Republican primary.
Paul was first elected to the senate in 2011 and is seeking to serve a third term.
When the Associated Press called the race, just after 7 P.M., Paul had earned 86 percent of the 9 percent of votes counted.
“Kentucky, I want to thank you for voting for me to be your Republican nominee for U.S. Senate,” Paul said in a video posted to Twitter. “I’m honored to serve and honored to have your vote. One more election will happen this fall, and I hope I can count on your vote again.”
"As I do most weeks, I’m here in DC battling the socialists and petty tyrants. Kentucky and all of America deserve better than the massive spending, runaway debt, and crippling inflation that Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer are giving us. I’m working every day to fight back, and I hope you’ll continue to support me and vote them out this fall,” the senator said.
Paul, who is known for his libertarian-leaning positions, voted against a $40 billion aid package that would have provided military and humanitarian resources to Ukraine.
“My oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation,” Paul explained online while defending his decision. “Congress is trying yet again to ram through a spending bill – one that I doubt anyone has actually read – and there’s no oversight included into how the money is being spent.”
“All I requested is an amendment to be included in the final bill that allows for the Inspector General to oversee how funds are spent. Anyone who is opposed to this is irresponsible,” he added
Paul defeated five challengers to secure his primary victory.
He will now face off with former state Representative Charles Booker, the winner of the state’s Democratic primary.
In 2020, Booker unsuccessfully campaigned to replace Senator Mitch McConnell. He later participated in protests held in Louisville following the death of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in her apartment during an interaction with police, gaining national attention.
The 36-year-old “often talks about how he intimately knows what it's like to live in poverty and the ways in which those experiences shaped him,” per The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Booker has promoted a number of social programs, including Medicare for all and universal basic income, as ways to end cycles of generational poverty. His policies contrast with Paul’s free-market views.
The Senate is currently evenly divided between the Democrats and Republicans. The November midterm elections could lead to a shift in voting power.
