Mediaboss Marketing

Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced Wednesday that they would not be voting for the billionaire philanthropist. Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more. Buzz60

Ky. Sen. Rand Paul speaks during the Republican event at the Galt House in downtown Louisville on election night. Nov. 8, 2016(Photo: Alton Strupp/The CJ)Buy Photo

As the federal vote on Education secretarynominee Betsy DeVos looms, Louisville resident Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons wanted his representative, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, to know where he stands.

But Graves-Fitzsimmons hasn't been able to reach Paul's staffdespite repeatedly calling the senator's offices this week. He got the chance to leave a voicemail once.

"I admire Sen. Paul's independence from the Republican Party ... so I actually believed he would listen to his constituents," he said. "He just isn't picking up the phone, I guess."

Graves-Fitzsimmons isn't the only one having trouble reaching Paul and his staff. Kelsey Cooper, Paul's state communications director, said the office hashad an influx of calls lately, many of which are from out of state.

"I know that plenty of other Senate offices are having issues with a high volume of calls coming in right now," Cooper said. "We are picking up as many of the phone calls as we can."

People have called about a mix of topics, including DeVos, said Cooper, who has helped answer calls. Staffers have seen an uptick in citizen emails, too.

"That's kind of the beauty of democracy that people want to call their representatives and voice their concerns," she said.

READ MORE: Chef Edward Lee's Whiskey Dry coming to 4th Street Live READ MORE: Navy says special forces flew Trump flag in convoy READ MORE: Avoiding bridge tolls is harder than you think READ MORE: Stumbos lawsuit over Bevins vetoes dismissed ON THE GO?Download the CJ app for iPhone, Android and iPad

But the deluge of calls can be time-consuming, leaving staffers with less time to address personal concerns Kentuckians want help with, such as problems with veterans' benefits, Cooper said.

Several of President Donald Trump's cabinet nominees have been contentious, perhaps none more so than DeVos, a major Republican donor. The Michigan billionaire's lack of experience in public education and fervent support of alternatives like charter schoolshave sparked grassroots efforts to derail her nomination for Education secretary.

Two Republican senators announced Wednesday that they will not vote for DeVos when her nomination reaches the Senate floor. With the chamber's Democrats apparently united against DeVos, Wednesday's announcement sparked a barrage of social media posts encouraging people to urge other conservative senatorsto ditch DeVos too.

This week, Paulconfirmed his support for DeVos in an emailed statement from a spokeswoman.

"Sen. Paul believes every child in Kentucky and America deserves a chance to get a quality education. Increasing the choices parents and students have and getting Washington out of the way are the most important things the federal government can do to improve the education opportunities available to our children," the statement said. "Ms. DeVos is committed to those principlesand Sen. Paul supports her nomination."

Graves-Fitzsimmons didn't reachout to Kentucky's other senator, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, about DeVos because he said he knows McConnell will back Trump's pick. But with Paul who recently voted against another Trump nominee, newly minted CIA Director Mike Pompeo Graves-Fitzsimmons saw someone willing to consider his concerns.

He said he wished Paul's team had taken his call before backing DeVos.

People have had trouble reaching McConnell too. Indivisible KY, an anti-Trump organization, rallied Tuesday outside the senator's Louisville office. People held phones up as a sign of their inability to get in touch with McConnell, whose spokesman issued a statement that said Kentuckians have had a hard time reaching their senator "thanks to a coordinated effort by liberal activists across the country."

Dawn Cooley, co-founder of Indivisible KY, said that both Kentucky senators' decisions affect people outside their home state. McConnell and Paulneed to make improvements, such as bigger voicemail boxes that store more messages, she said.

"How are they supposed to be able to know what their constituents want if they are not able to hear them?" Cooley asked."It's not the constituents who need to change. It's the system that is not sufficient to handle our feedback."

Despite the phone trouble, Cooley said her group isgrateful for Paul's willingness to "part from the pack." Members of Paul's staffeven contactedIndivisible KY's leaders to schedule a meeting after the organization held a rally near his office.

Contact reporter Morgan Watkins at 502-875-5136 or mwatkins@courier-journal.com.

READ MORE: Chef Edward Lee's Whiskey Dry coming to 4th Street Live

READ MORE: Navy says special forces flew Trump flag in convoy

READ MORE: Ky. must pay relatives who take in foster kids

READ MORE: Avoiding bridge tolls is harder than you think

READ MORE: Stumbos lawsuit over Bevins vetoes dismissed

READ MORE: Bill strikes at Louisville merger, tax base

ON THE GO?Download the CJ app for iPhone, Android and iPad

Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/2k5pWLK

Continued here:
Sen. Rand Paul backs Betsy DeVos for Education secretary - The Courier-Journal