BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
Kentucky voters will be deciding between Republican incumbent Rand Paul and Democratic challenger Charles Booker. The winner will serve as one of the two United States Senators from Kentucky, alongside minority leader Mitch McConnell, for the next six years.
Rand Paul, 59, is an ophthalmologist who was raised in Texas where he attended Baylor University. Paul graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine in 1988.
After completing his residency, Paul practiced ophthalmology in Bowling Green from 1993 until he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010.
He was reelected to the Senate in 2016 after an unsuccessful bid at the U.S. Presidency, where he was defeated by Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
Charles Booker, 37, is a candidate from Louisville, Kentucky. Booker graduated from the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in 2010. Booker worked for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission and Department of Fish and Wildlife before successfully running for Kentucky’s state legislature. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021, where he was the youngest black state legislator.
Booker ran against and lost to Amy McGrath in the 2020 Democratic primary for Kentucky’s U.S. Senate seat.
The Mountain Citizen interviewed both candidates on topics that matter most to eastern Kentucky voters. Booker responded in person during a video interview. Paul responded via email. Both interviews are presented here in their entirety.
Why should Eastern Kentucky vote for you?
Paul: “Reckless spending by politicians in Washington has caused record-high inflation and price increases for all Kentuckians. I’ve fought to protect your tax dollars from going towards wasteful spending overseas and instead prioritize them for needs here in Kentucky. While Kentuckians continue to recover from flooding and tornadoes here at home, the Biden administration and both parties in Congress continue to funnel money to Ukraine and add to the debt. This is what America last and Kentucky last looks like. I will continue to fight back against reckless spending, and any radical liberal attempt to tear down our country. I will always prioritize Kentuckians by advocating for your constitutional liberties, protecting your tax dollars, and fighting against Big Government that aims to destroy your way of life.”
Booker: “The people of Eastern Kentucky across Appalachia, should vote for me, because we need a leader in the United States Senate, who cares about our lives, who understands that we’ve been ignored and abandoned all across Kentucky, and I know so many families right here feel that. If we want someone that’s going to fight for better Healthcare, make sure we have clean air and clean water, that we can afford our medicine, we don’t have to ration our medicine, that we can just live a good life. We need someone who won’t make a mockery of us like Rand Paul has. And I see the struggle because I’ve lived so much of it, and I believe we deserve better and I want to earn the support.”
What will you do to help with the Water Crisis in Martin County and other similar crises nationwide?
Paul: “I’ve advocated to ensure places like Martin County are eligible for the pots of money being set aside for fixing broken water systems, and my Penny Plan to Enhance Infrastructure Act would prioritize funding for projects like water systems instead of sending that money overseas or on wasteful spending.”
Booker: “So the big challenge that we see across Eastern Kentucky really true across a lot of the Commonwealth from the hood to the holler is often say is woefully underfunded crumbling infrastructure and it has really caused a lot of the crises, especially in Martin County. And so, what I’m committed to doing is focusing the resources at the federal level to rebuild, strengthen and expand infrastructure to make sure that every family has access to clean water. I believe it is your right. And we really need to vote now because the person I’m running against, Rand Paul, opposed investments in infrastructure that would make those types of repairs possible. So, I see that challenge. I know utility costs are impossible. If you can even get access and a lot of folks are turning the faucet on and the water is brown or orange, we’re going to fix that and we gotta do it together.”
What causes do you believe are most worthy of Kentucky’s tax dollars?
Paul: “There are plenty of worthy causes, but like all Kentuckians do with their family budgets, we as a country have to prioritize our needs and spending. Right now, disaster relief in both Eastern and Western Kentucky is a priority, and thanks to the work of saving tax dollars and budgeting appropriately, our state legislature has been able to send millions of dollars to Kentuckians in need. I have also introduced legislation in Congress to help prioritize disaster recovery efforts by freeing up already appropriated and unspent COVID-19 relief funds to go to those who need it most to rebuild their homes and businesses.
“Additionally, with record high crime rates, funding our local law enforcement should be a priority. Those on the radical left, like my opponent, continue to call for defunding the police, but I think most Kentuckians can agree we should have safe communities and law and order.”
Booker: “I believe our tax dollars should go to investing in us, in our people and in our infrastructure. My vision is a Kentucky New Deal, which is life, freedom, and prosperity for every single one of us. That means that we have strong economic centers all across Kentucky, where local business can thrive, that our roads and our bridges are strong and ready for the next generation, that our internet is not crap, that we can have Educational Systems where our teachers are paid and our schools are fully and equitably funded. The federal government has a big role to play in that and Rand Paul has been opposing all of it. So I want to go to the U.S. Senate to bring those dollars home and invest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”
What is your stance on Congressional term limits?
Paul: “I am an original co-sponsor of an amendment to the Constitution to limit Congressional terms. As one of the few leaders in Washington that favors term limits, I continue to advocate to amend the Constitution. Term limits would only work, however, if they applied to everyone.”
Booker: “I believe public service should not be about a career. I believe that, if we go to public service, it should be about the people. And so I do believe in term limits and I am committing to a term limit pledge of no more than two terms. And it’s actually the same pledge that Rand Paul agreed to, but he’s since taken that back, guess he’s lied about that. He’s running for a third term. I don’t believe you should go to build a career. And so two terms is more than enough.”
How will you help bring greater internet and communication connectivity to rural areas like many communities in eastern Kentucky?
Paul did not answer.
Booker: “So access to Internet to me and Broadband, it’s a utility. It’s not something that is a privilege for a few. We all need it. Whether it’s for your education, whether it’s for your business, the chance to pursue additional opportunities. And so I am committed, just like I was in the state legislature to expand high quality, fast Broadband across this Commonwealth and with the federal investment. So the infrastructure legislation, even in the rescue plan, billions of dollars are coming to Kentucky, that we need to invest in making sure that Broadband is accessible and available all the way to the home, all across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Rand Paul has opposed that. I believe it’s necessary, and I’m going to fight for it in Washington.”
What about the nation’s roadways and physical infrastructure?
Paul: “I have always put America and Kentucky first by advocating for taxpayer dollars to be spent here at home. I am, perhaps, the most vocal voice in Congress for prioritizing spending money at home before we consider sending money abroad. We can invest and improve our nation’s roadways and infrastructure by reappropriating the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been allocated to overseas spending.”
Booker: “You know, one of the biggest challenges that I’ve experienced and seen across Eastern Kentucky– and I was a director of Fish and Wildlife; I’ve been all over the Commonwealth– is connectivity, and the lack of access. And modernizing our road system, our highways, of course our bridges, even our waterways is really critical to making sure that our communities are not isolated. That is where Federal leadership is really important. We’ve seen it with the floods where a lot of bridges and roadways were washed away. And we need dedicated leadership that cares about our lives, that sees the challenges we face, to make sure that the money gets to our communities. And I am dedicated today.”
What role should renewable energy resources play in Kentucky’s future?
Paul: “Germany is currently under the thumb of Russia because they dismantled their coal and nuclear plants. I continue to believe that the US should continue to keep coal among our choices.
“Renewable energy is great but vastly more expensive than fossil fuel energy. Only rich people in rich countries can afford it. As I travel across the Commonwealth, Kentuckians are understandably more concerned with record high price increases and supply chain shortages that have been the result of Big Government socialist policies and President Biden’s failed economic agenda.
“I believe in an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy, where the government doesn’t pick winners and losers, and instead the free market and the consumer decides.”
Booker: “I believe the Commonwealth of Kentucky should lead the way for a sustainable future. I have marched and worked alongside in the struggle advocating for a sustainable future with a lot of folks across Kentucky, including coal miners who many of whom know that those jobs are leaving or they’re already gone. They’re battling black lung, they’re trying to survive. We need to reclaim the lands that have been destroyed. We need to repair infrastructure that’s been degraded, that has allowed for these historic floods that we’ve just recently experienced. And the opportunity to advance industry, solar, renewables, the way that we can lead the path for the future. It’s right at our fingertips. And by winning this seat and working with our now Governor Andy Beshear, doing the work here in Kentucky, we can make those critical investments, but it’s imperative because we need folks to have more money in their pocket. We need folks to have clean air. We need folks to have good paying union jobs and I’m going to fight for that.”
Do you believe humans play a role in climate change? And if so what role should Kentucky play in fighting it?
Paul: See previous response, given for both questions.
Booker: “Yes, we do have a part to play in what I call Climate Chaos and the decline of the fossil fuel industry, the carbon that has been emitted, the warming of our planet of the degradation, rather of our land. All of that plays a part in the environment that we see now. The environmental injustice that we face all across Appalachia and even where I’m from in the West End of Louisville. And so understanding that this is not a myth, we can’t look away from it. We need to make these targeted Investments to clean our land and to reduce the pollution that we put into the atmosphere so that our children can live a gainful life is not just essential, it’s critical to our future. And my vision of a Kentucky New Deal is focusing on that type of investment that is led by the people right here in Eastern Kentucky.”
Should current firearm legislation be relaxed, tightened or left alone and why?
Paul: “The second amendment is an important part of the Bill of Rights our founders bequeathed to us. I stand with the overwhelming majority of Kentuckians who support the constitutional right to protect themselves and their families.”
Booker: “Well I as, again, someone who has worked in the Department of Fish and Wildlife where I know Firearms are sacred. This is something that is very important and personal to me, I do believe that the second amendment should be protected and that we should have our liberties protected. We should also be able to do the work to keep our communities safe and that requires the type of leadership they have regulations in place for safe. And this is not a partisan issue, make sure that we have background checks for violent history is overwhelmingly supported. Red flag legislation to make sure that those who are facing a health crises aren’t in a position to hurt themselves or to hurt someone, temporarily. That’s important. So I believe we need common sense regulation, common sense safety measures, and we can do that and protect our rights.”
What role should the federal government play in disaster relief?
Paul: See answer to What causes do you believe are most worthy of Kentucky’s tax dollars? Response given for both questions.
Booker: “The federal government has a central role to play in disaster relief. The federal government is a part of our systemic support to repair and to fortify infrastructure to make sure that our entire country is strong and we’re able to survive for the future. And so when storms hit like the flood, that has really destroyed a lot of communities across Eastern Kentucky. The federal government that we pay for has an obligation and a responsibility to come to our aid to help us rebuild, help families who have lost their livelihoods get back on their feet. Because at the end of the day, when we take care of our people, our economy is going to thrive. Now, my opponent has voted against disaster relief every single time even after this flood and we can’t afford that. So I’m going to go to Washington to make sure we have the Investments and that when the storms come, we have a leader. That’s right there by her side.”
Do you believe Kentucky’s public education system is underfunded, overfunded, or appropriately funded and why?
Paul did not answer.
Booker: “Public education in Kentucky is woefully underfunded. For years, it has not been treated as the priority that it should be. And of course, our teachers are not paid what they need to be paid as public servants, which they are. And look, this is not news. Folks all over the Commonwealth understand that things are messed up and we need more investment in our system of public education. So much so, that we walked into the state capital and stood together to say that our students matter, our lives matter, our future matters, and we need to protect pensions and public education. As a legislator, I was at the center of that fight, working to get rid of a governor, Matt Bevin, who wanted to really destroy public education. And when I go to Washington, I am going to fight for our school system and our teachers right here to protect benefits, to address the windfall elimination provision and to target investments to communities that have been systemically ignored and abandoned. We gotta do the work because it’s about our future. It’s about our children.”
The President recently pardoned those convicted of simple possession of marijuana at the federal level. Do you think Kentucky’s governor should follow suit? What is your stance on federally legalizing cannabis?
Paul: “I’ve always said we shouldn’t be putting people in jail for simple possession of marijuana, and I’ve been a leading GOP voice for ending the war on drugs. I’ve introduced or cosponsored over two dozen criminal justice reform bills, several which deal with marijuana policy and would give states the ability to set their own policies around legalization and medical cannabis use.”
Booker: “President Biden’s decision to Pardon possession for cannabis was the right thing to do. It was long overdue. I believe the governor here in Kentucky should do the same thing. We should end the war on drugs. We should stop criminalizing this plant and quite honestly, we need to legalize cannabis, because Kentucky will be one of the best places in the country to 1) grow it and create new industry. But 2) it’s a part of our work to pursue healing instead of criminalizing pain and essentially giving us the chance to step up and step out of the wake of the opioid crisis and build a better future. Legalization is a big part of that. I actually led the effort for legalization in the House. I was the lead sponsor on legislation to decriminalize and legalize cannabis and I’m going to take that fight to Washington.”
Do you have a message for your opponent?
Paul did not answer.
Booker: “My message for my opponent is ‘pack your bags.’ We’re really tired of your BS and you’ve abandoned us, you’ve ignored us, you made a mockery of us and it’s not about my personal opinions of you. I just believe Kentucky deserves better. Republicans, Democrats, Independents alike, we matter and we should be a priority and we’re not for sale. We need new leadership in the Senate and we’re going to stand together. Make that happen.”