Last modified: Thursday, July 9, 2009 11:57 AM CDT

Cash key in Rand Paul’s decision on Senate race

By JUSTIN STORY, The Daily News, jstory@bgdailynews.com/783-3256

Bowling Green ophthalmologist Rand Paul said he will decide by Aug. 20 whether to officially enter the race for the seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning.

In a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Paul, son of 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul, said he didn’t wish to run against Bunning and that he has supported him on most votes in the past; however, the two-term Republican senator’s fundraising struggles have caused Paul to reconsider.

Paul said that if he enters the race, he would try to take the Republican Party in a more populist direction after the last two congressional elections have reduced the party’s representation at the federal level.

“On many issues, (Bunning) has been good and generally conservative, but I also think the party is just shriveling up and we need some new people,” Paul said.

Paul previously said he didn’t plan to run against Bunning, but said he also doesn’t want a repeat of 2008, when former U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis withdrew from the state’s 2nd District congressional race on the day of the campaign filing deadline.

According to reports, Paul has raised more than $100,000 in the second financial quarter in an effort to position himself for a campaign, while Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson raised $600,000.

State Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo are vying for the Democratic nomination for Bunning’s seat.

Paul said he has disagreed with Bunning’s votes for the federal budgets proposed by former President George W. Bush and for the U.S.A. Patriot Act.

Paul said the most important issue he would tackle would be the federal deficit, saying that inflation comes from excessive debt and that he would not vote for an unbalanced budget.

“We’re in a big mess and the biggest thing facing this country is the deficit,” Paul said. “I think neither party has been good at it.”

Paul said fundraising will be the main factor in his decision to enter the race, and that he and his supporters want to raise $1 million from 10,000 donors in one day, talking of a “moneybomb” from online supporters.

Bunning spokesman Mike Reynard told The Associated Press that the senator had no comment.

On the current debate over health care reform, Paul said the current system of health care “doesn’t work,” but that if a reform bill were to lead to a single-payer option, the system may run into a situation in which providers worried about costs would ration out certain prescription drugs that more people would have access to.