Lexington Mayor Jim Gray wins Democratic nod for fall campaign against Republican Sen. Rand Paul in Kentucky.

Gray took a lead in the race and never turned back.

Gray showed up to Harrison Elementary School on Tuesday morning to cast his vote. He said he watched the results from home.

"We are going to win in November, because there is one thing I hear more than anything else as I travel this great state," he said to a crowd at Manchester Music Hall. "Our citizens want a senator who lives by three simple words: Kentucky first always."

During the first leg of his campaign, Gray touted his mayoral experience and business pedigree, and has focused much of his campaign on the economy.

Gray had six opponents in the race for the Democratic nomination. Those opponents are Rory Houlihan, Jeff Kender, Ron Leach, Tom Recktenwald, Grant Short, and Sellus Wilder.

Paul won the Republican nomination in his pursuit of a second term. He faced two opponents: James Gould and Stephen Slaughter.

“You know I think I’m going to run on my record," Paul said. "I’ve tried very hard to represent Kentucky by saying you know what, we need a smaller government, we need to leave more money in Kentucky.”

Gray is harshly critical of Paul for his aborted presidential run, saying he has failed to represent the state. However, according to Paul's campaign spokeswoman Kelsey Cooper, the senator maintained a 96 percent attendance record for Senate votes. Cooper cited Paul's efforts to curtail the federal government's surveillance powers and protect gun ownership rights.

Paul juggled dual campaigns for the White House and re-election to the Senate until early this year, when he ended his struggling presidential bid.

Paul rode a wave of tea party support in winning his Senate seat in 2010. The libertarian-leaning Paul kept to his low tax-and-spend mantra during his first Senate term. He also championed efforts to curtail the federal government's surveillance powers, and has ventured into minority neighborhoods to advocate for criminal-justice reforms.

Kentucky Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate race since 1992.