Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is threatening to ask courts to stop Republican Rand Paul from running for the Republican presidential nomination and re-election to the Senate at the same time.
“The law is clear. You can’t be on the ballot twice for two offices,” Grimes, the Democrat who challenged soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this fall, told WHAS in Louisville.
Her comments came in Grimes’ first interview after losing by 15 percentage points to McConnell. Republicans in Kentucky are pushing to change the state law to allow Paul to appear on the ballot twice, but Democrats who control the statehouse have objected.
Grimes said as the state’s chief election officer, she won’t be “bullied” by Paul.
“We’ll look to the court for any guidance that is needed,” Grimes said. “And at the end of the day, we’re not going to be bullied. I’ve done my job as secretary of state for the people of Kentucky and I’ll continue to do that.”
To challenge Paul in court, though, Grimes would need to run for re-election as secretary of state in 2015 — a decision she said she hasn’t made yet.
Kentucky has several statewide offices on the ballot next year. State Attorney General Jack Conway is the only Democrat who’s entered the race to replace outgoing Gov. Steve Beshear, and Beshear’s son, Andy, is running for attorney general.
Grimes was coy in the interview with WHAS when asked about her own future.
“I’m taking time to reflect with family and friends on what has been an amazing journey,” Grimes said, “And, my hope is that I will continue to remain committed to the causes that I committed myself to over the course of this past year.”