Sarah Brookbank

sbrookbank@communitypress.com

INDEPENDENCE – U.S. Sen. Rand Paul spent Saturday, Oct. 22, in Northern Kentucky campaigning for re-election.

Paul, a Republican from Bowling Green, is running against Democratic Lexington Mayor Jim Gray.

On Saturday, Paul spent part of the morning knocking doors in Independence, focusing on getting voters to the polls on Election Day, not changing their minds.

"Northern Kentucky has the largest collection of Republicans in the entire state," Paul said to supporters at the Kenton County Republican Party Office, "We're going to win very well up here ... We need a big turnout up here and to get (voters) energized to vote."

When talking with supporters Paul stressed the importance of the presidential election and what it could mean for the U.S. Supreme Court. With one seat now open, the next president could see three open seats.

With two weeks to go until Election Day, Paul said it looks like he is significantly ahead of Gray and that Kentucky is looking more conservative.

"I think that gives us a built-in advantage, in the sense that Kentucky is trending more conservative, trending more Republican," Paul said during an interview at the Kenton County Republican Party Office in Fort Wright.

Jim Gray: Brent Spence Bridge tops infrastructure priority list

The numbers show a state that is not excited about having a Hillary Clinton presidency, Paul said, especially in coal country.

Kentucky remains one of the last Democratic-controlled statehouses and Paul believes it could flip Republican.

"Eastern Kentucky, like I said, is really poised to send a message to Hillary Clinton. I think they're going to send that message from the top and all the way down the ticket. They're just not happy with Hillary Clinton. She doesn't represent us in Kentucky," Paul said.

Paul's opponent, Jim Gray, visited Covington's Devou Park on Oct. 19 to discuss Kentucky infrastructure, noting the Brent Spence Bridge as a priority.

When asked about the Brent Spence Bridge and other issues for Northern Kentucky voters, Paul said infrastructure is one of his top priorities in Washington.

Paul discussed his plan to fill the $15 billion gap in the Highway Fund. Paul, along with another senator, Barbara Boxer (D-California), proposed bringing American companies overseas back to the United States through a repatriation plan. It is similar to a 2005 plan which Paul said brought back $30 billion in tax revenue.

The Invest in Transportation Act of 2015 would use revenue from repatriation by providing an incentive for companies to bring back an estimated $2 trillion, Paul said.

Paul said he would want to lower tax rates for five years to bring companies back to the U.S. and to put all that back into the Highway Fund.

“You would have more than enough money to replace the Brent Spence, or maybe even add another bridge out on the East Side,” Paul said. “I favor all of the above. We could replace the Brent Spence and add the east side bridge. With bridges comes more commerce, with the improvement of roads comes more commerce. We’re a rich country, we ought to be able to find a way to do that.”