From Ballotpedia
Paul announced on April 7, 2015, that he would run President of the United States in 2016.[2][3] He suspended his campaign on February 3, 2016.[4]
He won re-election in 2016.[5] He faced Jim Gray (D) in the general election. Kentuckys U.S. Senate race was rated as safely Republican in 2016.
On March 6, 2013, Paul led a filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan, that lasted 12 hours and 52 minutes - the ninth longest Senate filibuster on record.[6] In addition to delaying the final vote on Brennan's confirmation, Paul's stated intention was to highlight his concerns about the Obama Administration's drone policies.[6]
Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Paul is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.
Paul was born in 1963 in Pittsburgh, PA, and grew up in Lake Jackson, TX. He attended Baylor University, although he did not receive an undergraduate degree.[1] Paul received his M.D. from Duke University Medical School. Prior to his election to the Senate, Paul worked as an ophthalmologist in Bowling Green, Kentucky[7]
Paul is the son of former Republican Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul.[8]
Below is an abbreviated outline of Paul's professional and political career:[7]
Paul serves on the following Senate committees:[9]
Paul served on the following Senate committees:[10][11]
Paul served on the following Senate committees:[12]
The first session of the 114th Congress has enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session.[13] The Senate has confirmed 3,934 out of 5,051 executive nominations received (77.9 percent). For more information pertaining to Paul's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections.[14]
On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). TPA, also known as fast track authority, allows the president to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. Congress casts a simple up or down vote on a trade agreement, and the legislation only requires a simple majority for approval. The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Paul voted with three other Republican senators against the bill.[15][16] Trade promotion authority On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Paul was one of five Republicans to vote against the bill. After, Senate Republican leadership honored a pledge to support trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by passing the measure as part of HR 1295 - Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 by voice vote. The House passed HR 1295 the following day, on June 25, 2015, and both TPA and TAA were signed into law on June 29, 2015.[17][18][19]
On May 5, 2015, the Senate voted to approve SConRes11, a congressional budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, by a vote of 51-48. The non-binding resolution will be used to create 12 appropriations bills to fund the government. The vote marked the first time since 2009 that Congress approved a joint budget resolution. All 44 Democrats voted against the resolution. Paul was one of two Republican senators to vote against the bill.[20][21][22]
On November 10, 2015, the Senate passed S 1356 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 91-3. The second version of the $607 billion national defense bill included "$5 billion in cuts to match what was approved in the budget" and language preventing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison.[23][24] Paul and five Republicans did not vote.[25] On November 5, 2015, the House passed the bill by a vote of 370-58, and President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 25, 2015.[26]
On June 18, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1735 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 71-25. The bill "authorizes FY2016 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation." Paul voted with one Republican, 22 Democrats and one Independent against the bill.[27] The House passed the bill on May 15, 2015.[28] President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on October 22, 2015.[29]
On October 30, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 by a vote of 64-35. The bill increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017.[30] Paul voted with 34 Republicans against the bill.[31] It passed the House on October 28, 2015.[32] President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 2, 2015.
On May 7, 2015, the Senate voted to approve HR 1191 - A bill to provide for congressional review and oversight of agreements relating to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes, by a vote of 98-1. The bill required President Barack Obama to submit the details of the nuclear deal with Iran for congressional review. Congress had 60 days to review the deal and vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. During the review period, sanctions on Iran could not be lifted. Paul voted with 52 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Senator Tom Cotton (Ark.) was the only Republican who voted against the bill.[33][34]
Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 On September 10, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 58-42.[35] Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Paul voted with 53 other Republicans and four Democrats to proceed to the measure of disapproval.[36]
Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 follow up votes On September 15, 2015, the Senate voted for a second time to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 56-42.[37] Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Paul and one other Republican did not vote.[38]
Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 fourth vote On September 17, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster a vote on S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640 by a vote of 53-45. The amendment proposed prohibiting "the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran."[39] Paul did not vote.[40]
On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, increasing transparency of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Paul voted with 29 Republicans, one Democrat and one independent against the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015.[41][42]
On April 23, 2015, the Senate voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as United States Attorney General by a vote of 56-43. All 44 Democratic senators voted to confirm Lynch. Paul voted with 42 other Republican senators against Lynch's confirmation.[43]
On October 27, 2015, the Senate passed S 754 - the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 by a vote of 74-21.[44] The bill proposes procedures that will allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. Paul and four other Republicans did not vote.[45]
On October 20, 2015, the Senate voted against proceeding to a vote on S 2146 - the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act by a vote of 54-45. The bill proposed withholding federal funding from "sanctuary jurisdictions" that violate the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and other federal immigration laws. In addition, the bill proposed increasing "penalties for individuals who illegally reenter the United States after being removed" and providing "liability protection for State and local law enforcement who cooperate with Federal law enforcement."[46] Paul voted with 51 Republicans and two Democrats in favor of proceeding to the bill.[47]
The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[48] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Paul's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[49]
On September 4, 2013, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly approved an authorization for President Obama to use limited force against Syria. It was approved by a 10-7 vote.[50][51]
The vote came after a three-hour briefing with top Obama administration officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.[50]
Of the nine Democratic members and eight Republican members that make up the committee, seven Democrats and three Republicans voted in favor, while five Republicans and two Democrats opposed the authorization.[50] A single "present" vote was cast by Ed Markey (D). Paul was one of the five Republicans who opposed the authorization.[52]
On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[53] It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[54] Paul voted with 22 other Republican senators against the bill.
On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[55][56] The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill.[56] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[57] It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts.
Paul voted with 25 other Republican members against the bill.[55][56]
During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[58] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Paul voted with the Republican Party against the bill.[59]
After the government shutdown went into effect, Paul said on October 1, 2013, that he would support a short-term funding measure to keep the government open while we negotiate.[60]
I think what we could do is pass a very short term, maybe not six weeks, but what about one week, so we could negotiate over a week," Paul said. "I think a continuing bill to keep the government open while we negotiate is a good idea. I do agree that negotiating with the government closed probably to [Democrats] appears like strong-arm tactics.[60]
I think if we did it for a week or two, we could still continue to negotiate, have a conference committee and really I think the American people do want us to work this out, Paul added.[60]
Paul voted against H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[61]
In March 2013 the U.S. Senate soundly rejected a balanced budget plan by House Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan (R).[62] Five Republicans joined every Democrat present to kill the measure, which failed on a 40-59 vote.[62]
Paul was one of the five Senate Republicans who voted against Ryan's budget proposal.[62]
The proposed budget would have cut about $5 trillion over the next decade and aimed to balance the budget by the end of the 10-year period.[63]
Some tea party members of the GOP opposed the measure because of its reliance on $600 billion-plus in tax revenues on the wealthy enacted in January 2013, in order to balance the budget.[62] Others in the Senate opposed the Ryan plan because of cuts from safety net programs for the poor and the inclusion of a plan to turn the Medicare program for the elderly into a voucher-like system for future beneficiaries born in 1959 or later.[62]
Paul voted for Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[61]
Paul voted against S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[61]
Paul voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of five Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.[64]
On The Issues conducts a VoteMatch analysis of elected officials based on 20 issue areas. Rather than relying on incumbents to complete the quiz themselves, the VoteMatch analysis is conducted using voting records, statements to the media, debate transcripts, or citations from books authored by or about the candidate.[65]
The table below contains the results of analysis compiled by staff at On The Issues.
On May 20, 2015, Paul conducted a nearly 11 hour filibuster of the renewal of provisions in the USA PATRIOT ACT. Paul specifically argued against the mass collection of metadata by the National Security Agency and warrantless wiretapping. He asked Senate leadership to allow members of Congress to debate reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT ACT and propose amendments to HR 2048 - the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, rather than simply casting an up or down vote on the legislation.
On March 9, 2015, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote a letter to Iran's leadership, warning them that signing a nuclear deal with the Obama administration without congressional approval was merely an "executive agreement." The letter also stated that "The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time." The letter was signed by 47 Republican members of the Senate. Paul was one of the 47 who signed the letter. No Democrats signed it.[67]
The letter caused intense backlash from both the Obama administration and members of Congress.[68] Vice President Joe Biden said of the letter, "In thirty-six years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country much less a longtime foreign adversary that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them."[69] On Twitter, the hashtag "47Traitors" became the top trending topic in the world, and a debate raged as to whether the 47 who signed the letter were traitors or patriots.[70]
Paul submitted an opinion editorial to CNN on August 29, 2013, in which he urged President Barack Obama not to rush into a war, saying "America's wars must be debated by Congress, declared constitutionally and fought only for the interests and security of the United States. They should never be fought to save face."[71]
In June 2013, The Guardian reported about a secret surveillance program where the NSA obtained phone records of millions of customers.[72] Paul considered a class-action lawsuit against the National Security Agency over the large-scale surveillance program that was gathering data on American citizens. Paul also said he would consider taking it to the Supreme Court.[73][74] Paul called the NSA surveillance program an "astounding assault on the Constitution."[75]
In June 2013, former vice president Dick Cheney criticized Paul's views that the NSA's surveillance programs infringed on the privacy of American citizens by arguing that most of the current Congress was not present immediately after the 9/11 attacks, and thus did not fully understand the circumstances that led to the adoption of the NSA programs. Cheney stated, "When you consider the possibility of somebody smuggling something like a nuclear device into the United States, it becomes very, very important to gather intelligence on your enemies and stop that attack before it ever gets launched.[76][77]
Paul announced he opposed the bipartisan budget proposal that Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray released on December 10, 2013.[78]
In a statement on September 21, 2013, Paul acknowledged that it was unlikely that Republicans in Congress would be able to defeat Obamacare.[79]
We probably cant defeat or get rid of Obamacare, Paul said in a statement.
However, he did note that efforts by Republicans in the House to defund Obamacare in its government funding bill could lead to a compromise.[79]
Senators Ted Cruz, Paul and Mike Lee (Utah), who led calls in the Senate to defund Obamacare in any spending bills, took part in a September 10, 2013, "Exempt America from Obamacare" event, organized by Tea Party Patriots and ForAmerica, along with other conservative groups.[80]
Democrats will stop at nothing to protect the presidents signature legislation, and too many Republicans are afraid to fight, rally organizers wrote.[80] They also took a shot at the Office of Personnel Management rule allowing the federal government to continue subsidizing health plans for lawmakers and their aides.[80] Even Big Government is getting a carve out now, they wrote.[80]
The rally came after 80 House members signed a letter in August 2013, calling on Congress to defund the health care law in upcoming fiscal battles.[80]
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) called for Paul to testify as a witness on a mandatory drug minimum panel on September 18, 2013. The hearings concerned the effectiveness of mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders.[81]
Paul believes "gun control laws only restrict access to responsible gun ownership." He opposes "any proposed gun control law which would limit the right to gun ownership by those who are responsible, law-abiding citizens."[82]
Paul expanded his criticism of gun control laws to include the Patriot Act, which in his view "gives the government the right to search your home without a warrant, when you're not home, leave listening devices, and use any and all information to create a prosecution on any charge regardless of their original reason for the search." Paul believes that the Second Amendment is protected only as far as the Fourth Amendment is protected. He states that unless Americans are free from "unreasonable searches and seizures," their Second Amendment rights are not fully protected.[83]
On energy policy, Paul opposes government subsidies for solar and wind power, claiming such involvement destroys incentives for energy innovation and encourages more lobbying by companies "with the most political clout." Paul supports cutting taxes and eliminating regulations on those businesses involved with developing new sources of energy.[84]
Paul supports the legalization of hemp.[85][86]
Paul considers himself a "libertarian Republican."[87]
2012
Rand Paul endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[88]
On August 22, 2015, the Republican Party of Kentucky decided Rand Paul could run simultaneous campaigns for the presidency and the Senate. In a 111-36 vote, the partys central committee approved a presidential caucus to replace its presidential primary, thereby preventing Paul from appearing on two ballots and violating Kentucky campaign law.[89]
Paul was a Republican presidential candidate in 2016. He suspended his campaign on February 3, 2016.[90]
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Kentucky's U.S. Senate race as safely Republican. Incumbent Rand Paul (R) defeated Jim Gray (D) and Billy Ray Wilson (Write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Paul defeated James Gould and Stephen Howard Slaughter in the Republican primary, while Gray defeated six other challengers to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on May 17, 2016.[91][92][93]
The following issues were listed on Paul's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
[94]
Endorsements
On November 2, 2010, Paul won election to the United States Senate. The race attracted more than $8.5 million dollars in outside spending.[95]
Paul was a surprising victor over the favorite, former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, in the primary election.[96][97][98]
Paul defeated Jack Conway (D) and Billy Ray Wilson (Write-In) in the general election.[99]
The below chart from Find The Best tracks the fundraising events Paul attends.
In an analysis by Open Secrets of the Top 10 Recipients of Contributions from Lobbyists in 2013, Paul was 1 of 115 members of Congress who did not report any contributions from lobbyists in 2013 as of July 3, 2013.[102]
The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants. It consists of two different metrics:
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Paul's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $231,006 and $565,000. That averages to $398,003, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican senators in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Paul ranked as the 86th most wealthy senator in 2012.[103] Between 2009 and 2012, Paul's calculated net worth[104] decreased by an average of 18 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[105]
Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Paul received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Retired industry.
From 2009-2014, 16.07 percent of Paul's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[108]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Paul was a "rank-and-file Republican," as of July 23, 2014. This was the same rating Paul received in June 2013.[109]
The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[110]
According to the website GovTrack, Rand Paul missed 45 of 1,412 roll call votes from January 2011 to September 2015. This amounts to 3.2 percent, which is worse than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.[111]
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Paul paid his congressional staff a total of $1,454,975 in 2011. He ranked fifth on the list of the lowest paid Republican senatorial staff salaries and ranked fifth overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Kentucky ranked 40th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[112]
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year.
Paul ranked 19th in the conservative rankings in 2013.[113]
Paul ranked 6th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[114]
Paul ranked 32nd in the conservative rankings in 2011.[115]
The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.
Paul voted with the Republican Party 83.0 percent of the time, which ranked 35th among the 45 Senate Republican members as of July 2014.[116]
Paul voted with the Republican Party 83.6 percent of the time, which ranked 38th among the 46 Senate Republican members as of June 2013.[117]
Delegates from Kentucky to the Republican National Convention were selected by nomination committees and approved at the county and state conventions. Kentucky GOP rules required national convention delegates to have "supported" the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. Kentucky GOP rules and Kentucky state law required delegates from Kentucky to vote for the candidate to whom they were allocated through the first round of voting at the national convention. If a candidate died or withdrew prior to the first round of voting at the national convention, the chairman of the Kentucky delegation was to call a meeting at which the delegates were to vote on the remaining candidates and be reallocated on the basis of the results.
Kentucky had 46 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 18 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's six congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 5 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any district delegates.[120][121]
Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 5 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were allocated in the same manner as the at-large delegates.[120][121][122]
Paul has been married to his wife Kelley (nee Ashby) since 1993. They live in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and have three sons: William, Duncan, and Robert.[7]
Paul is the first Senator to have served simultaneously with a parent, Ron Paul (R), in the United States House of Representatives.[123][124]
In July 2013, it was announced that Kelley Paul was no longer a staff member of Strategy Group for Media, a conservative consulting firm. The firm has previously worked on Sen. Paul's television ads in his 2010 race, Senate candidate Todd Akin's campaign and Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential bid, among other campaigns.[125]
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