LEXINGTON, Ky. _ U.S. Sen. Rand Paul claimed his consolation prize Tuesday, defeating Lexington mayor Jim Gray to keep his U.S. Senate seat.
This time last year, Paul, a Republican, was hoping to spend election night making his acceptance speech as president-elect of the United States.
But after an unsuccessful run in a crowded field, Paul spent most of 2016 marching through Kentucky instead of Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, rallying support for his Senate election at town halls and local businesses.
Paul led throughout the campaign, according to the limited polling available, and acted like it. In campaign stops across the state he rarely, if ever, mentioned Gray's name, choosing instead to focus on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her agenda.
"Rand Paul benefitted from a presidential election that distracted voters from congressional contests and encouraged people to vote on partisan brand names," said Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky.
Paul continued his libertarian message of ending governmental regulations and eliminating the national debt. Paul was able to campaign on bills he proposed and his well-publicized filibusters on issues regarding privacy.
For the most part, the campaign was quiet. It wasn't until the only debate when Gray accused Paul of having "wild ass" philosophies that the campaign showed signs of life.
The attention wasn't enough to cut the gap.
"The Senate election never really woke up and we'll never really know if Jim Gray could have gained more traction," Voss said.
Gray couldn't overcome his lack of name recognition in a state that is becoming more conservative with each passing year.
Gray tried to pitch himself as a moderate Democrat � a former business leader who could go to Washington and get things done through compromise, like bringing infrastructure jobs to Kentucky.
Most candidates running for Senate were concerned that the candidacy of Donald Trump would hurt their campaigns but Paul benefited from support for the Republican nominee.
As the first openly gay man to run for Senate in Kentucky, Gray earned the distinction only a year after Gov. Matt Bevin won his election while defending a county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Gray avoided making an issue out of his sexuality. When faced with opportunities to address it, he often shied away, not wanting to be identified as the "gay candidate."
