Joseph Gerth

Opinion Columnist | Louisville Courier Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. Lexington Mayor Jim Gray filed on Tuesday to challenge U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in the 2016 election, filling a hole on the Democratic ticket left vacant when former state Auditor Adam Edelen, who was gearing up to take on Paul before losing his reelection bid in November, announced he would not run.

"I think there are a lot of voices that deserve representation," Gray said in an interview on Sunday. "Our two-party system really depends on voices being represented, opposing voices ... That may sound simplistic but it's genuinely the way that I feel.

"I believe that even in these times of brick throwing, caustic environment that voices of moderation are valuable and essential," he said. "Sen. Paul has far from represented voices of moderation and civility and reasonable discourse and reasonable debate."

In a video posted on his campaign website, Gray went directly after Paul and against Washington, D.C.

"The American Dream is slipping away. People don't have the same opportunity we had growing up and instead of building things up like my family taught me, Washington is busy tearing each other down. I want to change that," he said in the video.

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He noted that as Lexington mayor, he turned a deficit into a surplus and the city has created jobs faster than the state average.

"That's what our country needs. Instead, Washington offers dysfunction and gridlock and Sen. Paul confuses talking with getting results," he said.

The Paul campaign responded by highlighting the work Paul has done in Washington.

"Since being elected in 2010, Senator Paul has been a strong voice for all Kentuckians and fought tirelessly against the liberal Obama agenda of government overreach and job-killing policies. He has proposed common sense solutions to reign in our nation’s out of control debt and has proposed tax cuts for the working class. He has upheld the Constitution, fought for our liberties, and kept his promise," the campaign said in a release.

"With a nearly perfect attendance record in the Senate, a robust record of legislative proposals, and a long list of actions he’s taken on behalf of Kentucky, the facts here are irrefutable. Rand Paul has done his job, and done it well," the campaign said in a six-paragraph statement that mentions President Barack Obama three times.

Gray is among seven Democrats to file to take on Paul, who Democrats have repeatedly criticized for spending so much time out of state while he pursues the GOP nomination for president. Others who have filed are Jeff Kender, of Phelps; Grant Short, of Owensboro; Tom Recktenwald, of Louisville; Ron Leach, a retired Army major who ran for congress in the second district in 2014; Rory Houlihan, of Winchester; and Sellus Wilder, of Frankfort.

Republicans James Gould, of Lexington, and Steven Howard Slaughter, of Louisville, also filed to challenge Paul.

But Gray, who before he entered politics, ran his family's Lexington-based construction company, is the highest profile Democrat to enter the race.

"My career has been about trying to help people find good-paying jobs. That's been a passion," Gray said.

Gray said he plans to spend some of his own fortune on the race but refused to say how much or whether it would be enough for him to be considered a "self-funder,"

But considering the fact that the Republicans control the governor's office and both of the state's U.S. Senate seats, Gray may find it difficult to raise the millions of dollars that will likely be needed to run a competitive statewide election campaign.

"I'm willing to contribute, and I'll be willing to ask others to contribute," he said.

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Gray declined to say if he would be in the race if another high-profile Democrat entered the race.

"You know, competition always influences your decisions," he said. "My business history is one of engaging aggressive competition, so I know how to evaluate competitive odds "

He acknowledged that he faces long odds against an incumbent. "I like an uphill fight; I enjoy it," he said. "Sen. Paul is an incumbent. Incumbents have a leg up in a competitive race, but he's also vulnerable."

House Speaker Greg Stumbo was less that effusive about a Gray candidacy, saying that he doesn't think Gray will have any impact on Democratic efforts to keep control of the Kentucky House of Representatives.

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Ask if Gray's candidacy is good for the Democratic Party, Stumbo said, "I don't have any comment on that."

Originally from Glasgow, Gray moved to Lexington to open an outpost of his family's construction business in Lexington. The company got its big break in 1985 when it was awarded the bid to build the Toyota plant in Georgetown.

Ultimately, Gray's mother and brothers all moved to Lexington and brought the construction company with them.

In later years, Gray said building plants where parts for Toyota cars are made has provided a steady stream of business for Gray Construction.

It has grown into a national business, recently building a 1.2 million square foot expansion to a BMW plant in Greer, S.C., on one coast, and a 24,000 square foot H&M store in Montclair, Calif., on the other coast, employing almost 700 workers. Gray construction has offices in California, North Carolina, Alabama and Japan.

Now the chairman of the company, Gray has no day-to-day involvement with the firm, allowing him to work full-time as Lexington mayor.

Gray said he doesn't believe that the fact that he is gay will hurt him, even in a state as conservative as Kentucky. "What I found in Lexington is that people care about performance. They care about character and they care about competence. And that, at the end of the day, is what I think this election will be about," he said.

Joseph Gerth can be reached at (502) 582-4702 or jgerth@courier-journal.com. His mailing address is 525 W. Broadway, P.O. Box 740031, Louisville, KY 40201-7431. Follow him on twitter at @Joe_Gerth.