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One word, my friends: RINOgeddon. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that Christie earns 21% support when Republican voters are asked whom they would vote for if the party’s primary in their state were held today. Florida Senator Marco Rubio runs a close second with 18% of the GOP vote, followed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 16% and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul with 15% of the vote. Congressman Paul Ryan, the unsuccessful Republican vice presidential candidate in 2012, picks up 13% of the Republican vote, with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker dead last at six percent (6%)....

Money line: “This is what I do for a living.” Didn’t he predict a Bush/Clinton race in 2016 just nine months ago? If he believes what he says here about the parties swinging like “pendulums” from moderate nominees to ideologues and then back again, why would he have named Jeb as a strong contender last November? In fact, the roots of the counterargument are in Matthews’s own shpiel here: Most of the time, they head to the center. This is what Republicans did most successfully in 1952 – when, after twenty years of Roosevelt and Harry Truman – they wanted...

In a recent poll of Alaska voters, George Zimmerman -- who was recently acquitted in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin -- got a surprising 2 percent support as a hypothetical Republican presidential candidate. The newest Alaska survey from Public Policy Polling shows Hillary Clinton's only chance of winning the state in 2016 would be in a matchup against Republican Sarah Palin, where Clinton would lead 49/40 percent. Clinton trails all other Republican candidates in the survey. Out in front, Chris Christie leads her by 8 points at 46/38, Jeb Bush leads at 49/42, Rand Paul is up...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Thursday took a big swing at libertarian-leaning lawmakers in both parties, calling the ideology, when applied to national security, “a very dangerous thought.” His comments come just one day after the House narrowly rejected a sweeping amendment to defund the National Security Agency’s surveillance program. Addressing the bipartisan coalition that joined together to nearly push the so-called Amash amendment through, Christie told lawmakers who harbor libertarian views on the issue to explain their position to the victims of 9/11, the Washington Post’s Aaron Blake reports. He also included Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in...

In a preview of the debate to come within the Republican Party ahead of the 2016 presidential election, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie denounced Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and other libertarians as having "dangerous" views on foreign policy. At a Republican governors forum in Aspen, Colo., Christie railed against opposition to the National Security Agency surveillance programs. On Wednesday, the House narrowly voted to defeat an amendment that would have curtailed the NSA's ability to collect data on telephone calls. Lumping Paul in with those House members, Christie suggested that Paul and other libertarians should explain their positions to widows...

In a veiled shot at influential neoconservatives within the Republican Party, Sen. Rand Paul tells The Brody File the following: “There are people who will do or say anything who are your enemies,” Paul said. “Those who believe in perpetual war are some of the most dangerous to our country, and I think they will do everything they can to try and vilify people who are trying to find a more reasoned approach where war is the last resort not the first resort.” While he didn’t mention any names, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Paul...

DES MOINES, Iowa — Some Republicans are accusing the party’s neoconservative hawks of playing dirty pool in an attempt to smear Sen. Rand Paul as a bigot for having an aide who once expressed admiration for Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. The aide, Jack Hunter, who quit on Monday, was eased out by Mr. Paul after a neoconservative publication revealed that, as a radio “shock jock” some years ago, Mr. Hunter advocated that the Southern states secede once again from the union. Saying he had become more libertarian and broad-minded since his days as the “Southern Avenger,” Mr. Hunter revealed...

Near the end of March 2010, as Republicans outside Kentucky realized that Rand Paul might actually become a senator, Paul’s opponent received an unexpected and important-looking endorsement. “I’m a lifelong conservative, and I can tell the real thing when I see it,” announced Dick Cheney. “I have looked at the records of both candidates in the race, and it is clear to me that Trey Grayson is right on the issues that matter—both on fiscal responsibility and on national security.” Paul’s campaign was half-unsurprised, half-amused. They’d seen this coming a week before, when former Cheney policy adviser Cesar Conda emailed...

Gun control advocates are in hysterics, using frenzied, emotional attacks against Senators who opposed gun control last month in hopes of changing the momentum. This explains why Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has been targeted in New Hampshire, and it's why Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly have been targeting Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in Kentucky. Staunch gun control supporters saw Sandy Hook Elementary as their opportunity to secure more gun laws, but now they see that opportunity fading away....

Pressure is growing Thursday afternoon on a liberal super PAC in Kentucky accused of surreptitiously recording a strategy session held by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Jacob Conway, the Jefferson County Democratic Party’s executive committee member who originally accused Progress Kentucky of making the recording, told NBC News he was on his way to talk to the FBI about the allegations. And the group’s treasurer confirmed he had quit his position after the audio was published. “At this time based on advice of both friends and counsel, I will be not be making a public statement available until everything has...

Which is, well, kinda what Sen. Mitch McConnell said yesterday. These are the same guys who sent out racist tweets about McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, and her Chinese heritage. Local news in Kentucky is reporting, via a Democratic official, that Progress Kentucky is behind the secret tapes published by Mother Jones this week, which revealed McConnell operatives in the act of…running a campaign. The story immediately went viral in political circles, not so much for the videos’ content as for McConnell’s pushback. The Republican senator quickly went on offense, decrying the left’s “Nixonian-style” tactics, and turning the non-story of the...

'We'll have to see what the Howard students thought,' Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul shouted from an elevator Wednesday afternoon, answering MailOnline's question about whether his foray into winning the hearts and minds of black youths was successful. Paul, a Republican darling who is already laying the groundwork for a 2016 presidential run with a coming appearance in New Hampshire, had just wrapped up a two-hour appearance at the Howard University School of Business. Howard is among the U.S. colleges classified as 'historically black,' and the audience of approximately 300 included few white faces apart from those belonging to reporters. (VIDEO...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says he will join GOP Senators to filibuster a bill expanding gun control regulations if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) brings it up for a vote this week. This puts McConnell shoulder-to-shoulder with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and eight other Senators who have said they will block a push for gun control in the Senate. Currently, Reid's gun control package focuses on instituting universal background checks and new laws against gun trafficking. Reid has made it clear he will allow also...

The best thing that could happen to Democrats in the run-up to the 2016 election campaign is a Republican slate of Sarah Palin for president and Rand Paul for her running mate. It’s a dream ticket for Democrats, a nightmare for Republicans. As the Republican Party attempts to put Humpty Dumpty back together again after the presidential fiascos of 2008 and 2012, the challenge that rises above all others is defining, or redefining, the party. It’s not going well. Party disarray was in full flower recently at the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference, where Palin and Paul...

So confused am I by what he’s saying in the clip below that I’m not sure I’ve summed up his position correctly in the headline. The Blaze, wisely, didn’t even try. Their own post on this is simply titled, “CNN Asked Rand Paul About Abortion Exceptions: This Is How He Answered.” Here’s what we know: Not only is Paul pro-life, he just introduced the Life At Conception Act in the Senate, which would overturn Roe via a federal statute aimed at protecting due process for a fetus per Congress’s power under Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment. So far, so...

The Service Employees International Union applauded Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul for announcing that he supports an immigration bill that would include a pathway to legalization for existing illegal immigrants. In the statement emailed to reporters (it doesn’t appear to be online) SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina said: The diversity behind the voices in support of commonsense immigration reform continues to grow, strengthening the call for a solution this year. The GOP should heed Sen. Rand Paul’s words today and truly join the consensus that wants Congress to pass a bill that will create a just roadmap to citizenship, boost our...

They say every dog has its day, but Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has had at least a whole week. Political figures and media types from left, right, and center have all hopped aboard the Rand Paul Drone-i-buster Express, praising his 13-hour ode to Reynolds Wrap as everything from Constitutional Heroism to an Important Moment For Democracy From A Flawed Messenger. There have been a few liberal dissenters like Lawrence O’Donnell, Sen. John McCain, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and myself, but for the most part, the reaction has been universal (if heavily qualified) praise. I’m sorry, Lawrence, but I’ve changed my mind:...

At a time when there appears to be a burgeoning rift in Republican ranks over the government's use of drones, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Friday argued that he, not Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), represents former President Ronald Reagan's true legacy in the party. In a tense interview on Fox News, anchor Shepard Smith brought up the emerging schism between hawks such as McCain and non-interventionists like Paul.McCain and his longtime ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) each blasted Paul earlier this week for the Kentucky libertarian's epic 13-hour filibuster over the nomination of John Brennan to lead the CIA. Smith...

Palin-hating Hollywood liberal will run for senate in Kentucky. Judd is a big anti-gun lib. She cut ads for some wackadoodle leftist group against Sarah Palin in 2008. (VIDEO AT LINK) Judd would rather see the wolves poisoned than shot. Now, that’s humane. My FOX DC reported: Ashley Judd has yet to officially announce her political aspirations, but a source with intimate knowledge of the situation tells FOX411′s Pop Tarts column the actress is preparing herself to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his Kentucky seat in 2014. “At least in Ashley’s mind, it is happening,” said the insider....

If you have known me for 30 minutes, you are probably aware that one of my all-time favorite movies is 1985’s "Real Genius."In "Real Genius," Val Kilmer plays a super-smart college kid at a high-tech California college. A 15-year-old enters the scene with even higher test scores, and hilarity ensues. The story behind the one-liners and sight gags is that these college students are being use in a military research projects one of their professors is using for his personal gain. They are developing efficient high-powered lasers. Of course, the super smart kids never considered what purpose the laser would...

President Barack Obama tried Thursday to offer a simple assurance: He isn’t claiming the power to have drones kill an American not “engaged in combat” on U.S. soil. The statement, delivered in the form of a 43-word letter from Attorney General Eric Holder to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), seemed intended to provide the unequivocal declaration Paul and his supporters were demanding when he mounted a nearly 13-hour, old-fashioned filibuster on the Senate floor Wednesday. “We really had success,” Paul told POLITICO in an interview Thursday afternoon. “We got the president to respond, and the answer we finally got from the...

Was it a momentous occasion Wednesday when Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) drew praise from Rush Limbaugh to Code Pink, from Van Jones to Jennifer Rubin, by forcing the Obama administration to cough up at least some ball-advancing if unsatisfying answers about how and when it feels OK about assassinating American citizens on U.S. soil? MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell thinks so. And not in a good way: "It was the first time the black-helicopter crowd out there had one of their own, speaking into a Senate microphone," O'Donnell hissed...

Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster against the confirmation of CIA Director and "drone czar" John Brennan offers a "teachable moment" to the media and the left about the Tea Party. As they seethe in outrage and confusion that it took a Republican to question the constitutionality of drone attacks, it is important to remind our friends on the other side that it wasn't just any Republican, but a--gasp!--Tea Party Republican who spoke "truth to power." Not only that, but the Senators who were first to offer their assistance were also Tea Party Republicans--the so-called McCarthyist Ted Cruz of Texas, and Marco...

The modern day tea party movement took shape in 2007. Yet, it is hardly a reflection of the anti-war, anti-deficit, pro-civil liberty message that propelled its early popularity. During a time of impending recession, a government that had taken us to endless wars on false pretenses, and an unprecedented expansion of government under eight years of “conservative” leadership, the tea party began as a fundraising rally cry for a then relatively unknown dark horse candidate, Representative Ron Paul. The first “modern day tea party” was held on the anniversary of the original Boston Tea Party, December 16, 2007. In a...

Inside the cozy enclaves of GOP bonhomie—hunkered at the tables of see-and-be-seen Washington restaurants—Republican leaders are sourly predicting a party-busting independent presidential bid by a tea-party challenger, like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in 2016. To them, the GOP apocalypse looms larger than most realize. Dueling State of the Union rebuttals and Karl Rove’s assault on right-wing candidates are mere symptoms of an existential crisis that is giving the sturdiest Republicans heartburn. And yet, the heart of the matter extends beyond the GOP. My conversations this week with two Republican officials, along with a Democratic strategist's timely memo, reflect a growing...

Tea party leaders are turning to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, to deliver their message following President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, a speech that will compete with the official Republican response. Paul will make his remarks soon after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, wraps up the GOP response Tuesday night, a Paul spokeswoman confirms to CNN. "We are giving a voice to the tea party movement when the mainstream media and the Republican establishment wants to write us off as dead," said Amy Kremer, chairman of the Tea Party Express. This is the third year in a row that...

"I'm against having a king," Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said of U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Paul expressed his apprehension on the president's threats to impose gun control through executive orders. "I think having a monarch is what we fought the American Revolution over, and someone who wants to bypass the Constitution, bypass Congress, that's someone who wants to act like a king or monarch," Paul said. "Suffering rule," wherein the people of a nation suffer through a decision made unilaterally by the ruler - whether he is elected, or not, was a...

Our friend and fellow prospector Tom Massie needs help. He's decided to run for the U.S. Congress in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. Tom is pictured with my wife on the pansgold info page. Tom has been endorced by the National Rifle Association and is an outdoorsman, co-owner with his older brother Perry of the only family run cable network, The Outdoor Channel. Tom's father was Geroge 'Buzzard' Massie who passed away in late 1993 from a stroke. Tom owns and runs the LDMA (Lost Dutchman Mining Association) and the GPAA (Gold Prospector's Association of America.)

Erika Lovley Moderator : Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan debated Thursday night on a mix of policy issues. Did Biden recover the ground that President Obama lost in the presidential debate last week? Was Ryan able to hold his own against the senior politician? David N. Bossie President of Citizens United : Paul Ryan looked presidential tonight and Joe Biden acted like a child. It was clear that the Obama-Biden game plan is to lie to the American people because they do not have the facts on their side. We all know that President Obama failed miserably...

(VIDEO AT LINK) On Hugh Hewitt’s radio show on Wednesday, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said that as far as he was concerned, Mitt Romney was already the victor over incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama. “You know, I think — I’m in the minority here, but I think the election is over,” said Paul, who was on to promote his new book “Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds.”“I think that Romney has already won,” Paul continued. “The people really are tired of the debt. They’re tired of irresponsible leadership. I think they’re...

This year’s cast of GOP convention speakers could be future rivals, each jockeying for prime positioning in case 2016 opens up, Republican strategist Steve Schmidt said on MSNBC Monday night. The emerging five: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Paul Ryan. “All of these people in their own right are people who may have presidential aspirations and the ability to run a formidable campaign,” he said. “You maybe see the next generation of rivalries in the Republican Party.… You may see them all previewing what’s going...

. NBC News : Free Republic's Patton@Bastogne calls-out Myth Romney as a "Pathelogical Political Liar" at the Tampa 2012 GOP Convention ... Patton@Bastogne calls-out Myth Romney as a "Pathelogical Political Liar" in Tampa ...(click) Internet Link: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbcnews.com/48798495 .

FreedomWorks announced its support for three upstart Republican House candidates today, pitting the conservative grass-roots group against local elected officials in each state. The group endorsed Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer in North Dakota’s at-large seat; Lewis County Judge Executive Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s 4th district; and former state Sen. Sam Aanestad in California’s 1st district. All three candidates are running in open-seat races. FreedomWorks’ support is notable because it’s backing the underdogs in each race and, in one case, going against the state party’s endorsement. In North Dakota, the state GOP endorsed Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk at its...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) today filmed a TV ad in support of Congressional candidate Thomas Massie and plans to endorse him soon. “I’ve made the decision today to go ahead and help him,” Paul said in an interview today in his Senate office. “I filmed an ad for him today.” Massie, the Lewis County judge-executive, is locked in a competitive race for Kentucky’s open 4th district seat, currently occupied by retiring Rep. Geoff Davis (R). The other two top contenders in the race are state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington and Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore. Paul said an official endorsement of...

Kentucky’s junior senator says it would be an honor to be considered as a possible running mate for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Senator Rand Paul first discussed his higher aspirations at the beginning of this year. He said he wouldn’t close the door on being a Vice Presidential candidate. After a speech in Louisville today, Paul held that door firmly open, saying he wants to be part of the national debate. Paul’s name has swirled as a possible pick that would give Romney points with the Tea Party. When asked directly what he would say if Romney made the...

MADISONVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is weighing in on a Kentucky race. The former Republican Alaska Governor endorsed Todd P'Pool for Kentucky Attorney General Friday. "I am extremely honored to announce the endorsement and support of one of America's great conservative voices and Constitutional conservatives, Gov. Sarah Palin," said P'Pool. "Her endorsement brings a level of energy and excitement to our race that is nearly impossible to match." In a release, P'Pool also said that Palin's record of not "going along to get along" would be a trait he will seek to emulate. "Governor Palin...

— Whether Kentuckians should show official mug shots before voting has surfaced as a divisive issue in the face-off for secretary of state. Republican candidate Bill Johnson supports passing a new law requiring would-be voters to present photo identification at the polling station. He sees the stricter standard as a "common-sense security measure" to prevent fraud. His Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, responds that state law has worked by requiring voters to show a non-photo ID or be recognized by precinct officers. Using her own family as an example, she claims the new standard would present a hardship and deter...

A poll unveiled this week from American Research Group shows that three Republican presidential candidates -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska -- are gaining serious momentum in Iowa, site of the first presidential caucus. Bachmann, who declared her candidacy in June and has been surging in polls at both the national and state levels, topped the poll with 21 percent. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts placed second with 18 percent. Paul, who was the Libertarian candidate in 1988 and ran for the Republican nomination in...

State Senate President David Williams has won Kentucky’s Republican gubernatorial primary. Williams faces Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear in this fall’s off-year election. Williams beat out businessman Phil Moffett and Jefferson County Auditor Barbara Holsclaw. Turnout was in­cred­ibly low, less than ten percent, and Williams’ 15,000 vote win over Moffett was narrower than expected, especially considering he outspent both opponents by about ten to one. Polls taken before the primary showed the senate president with a much larger lead. “With a top-flight, conservative candidate like David Williams on the ticket, the governor’s mansion in Kentucky is a top pick-up opportunity for...

... "I was happy to see that Newt Gingrich has staked out a position on the war; a position or two, or maybe three," Paul said Wednesday at the Congressional Correspondents' Dinner. "I don't know. He may have more war positions than he's had wives." ... "They just really can't decide over at Fox News. It's like, what do they love more, bombing the Middle East or bashing the president? It's like, I was over there and there was an anchor going -- they were pleading, they were pleading -- 'please, please, please, can't we do both? Can't we bomb...

Rand Paul appears to have weathered the political storm he stirred up in Kentucky, and Carly Fiorina has gained a solid lead over Tom Campbell in the California GOP primary fight. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul addresses a luncheon meeting of the Lions Club in Bowling Green, Ky., Tuesday, May 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke) In Kentucky’s Senate race, a Courier-Journal and WHAS11 Bluegrass Poll shows Paul, a first-time candidate and son of Texas Rep. Ron Paul, with a modest lead over Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway a week after his remarks raising questions about part of the 1964...

The Tea Party movement enjoys widespread support among Kentucky Republican voters, but many Democrats still aren't sure what to make of the small-government crusaders, according to a new Kentucky Poll. More than one third of likely voters — 39 percent — say they have a favorable view of the movement, compared to 27 percent who have an unfavorable impression. But 34 percent still don't have an opinion on the loose-knit group. Only 7 percent of GOP voters say the movement is having too much influence on the Republican Party, a clear indication that Bowling Green eye surgeon Rand Paul's campaign...

Ron Paul was the straw poll winner at the CPAC convention last weekend – but Sarah Palin is the early frontrunner in bluegrass country. Colorado-based GOP pollster Magellan Strategies threw a POTUS 2012 question into a statewide poll of 560 Kentucky Republican voters and found Palin leading the pack with 28 percent of the vote – with Mike Huckabee a close second with 24 percent. Mitt Romney was at 16 percent, undecided landed at 14, Newt Gingrich got 12, followed by Paul with 4 percent and Tim Pawlenty dead last at two percent. The takeaway: Huckabee’s going to be a...

Watch LIVE as the top contenders for the U.S Senate Republican Nomination in Kentucky go head to head. From 12:30pm CST

The Republican field of contenders in the 3rd district U.S. House race became a little bit clearer Monday morning. State Sen. Jeff Colyer, R-Overland Park, sent out an announcement that he won't run, and he strongly endorsed former state Sen. Nick Jordan, a Shawnee Republican who lost a bid for the seat in 2008 to Rep. Dennis Moore, the Lenexa Democrat who will retire after this term. “I am grateful for the support and encouragement of so many friends regarding this race. I love public service and enjoy campaigning, but now is not the right time for me to be...

Web site tries to give Paul a fund-raising boost FRANKFORT — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul and a mysterious supporter are attempting to paint GOP front-runner Trey Grayson as a Washington, D.C., insider. Supporter Josh Manuel, whom Paul Campaign Manager David Adams said he doesn't know, has launched a Web site promoting a "Kentucky Fight" between Paul and Grayson on Sept. 23. The site, titled "Rand 'We the People' vs. Trey 'The DC Insiders,'" notes that 23 Republican U.S. senators, including Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, are to hold a $500-per-plate fund-raiser for Grayson's 2010 U.S. Senate campaign in Washington on...

Rand Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), is touting the first public poll on the GOP primary for next year’s U.S. Senate race. According to the survey, conducted for WHAS11, Paul trails GOP frontrunner Trey Grayson by only 11 points, 37-26. Among “conservative” Republican voters, he only trails by 7 points. And Paul only trails the two potential Democratic nominees by single digits. (Grayson leads both candidates, Attorney General Jack Conway and Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo.) “Great news for Rand Paul ahead of his scheduled ‘moneybomb’ internet fundraiser on August 20,” writes Joe Arnold in an analysis of...

Councilman Robin Engel said he expects to make a decision about whether or not to enter the race by Labor Day. Engel represents the 22nd District, which includes Fern Creek, Jeffersontown and Highview. In his last race for Metro Council, the Republican ran unopposed in a district with a majority of registered Democratic voters. Engel said he's met with party leaders to discuss entering the race, including Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman Brad Cummings. So far, Engel hasn't made a decision.

Sources close to Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R), who has formed a Senate exploratory committee, say he is on track to report raising close to $500,000 in the second quarter of the year. Grayson had only two months to fundraise this quarter after filing his exploratory committee in early May. Grayson, who has said he does not plan to challenge Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) and has said he will only run if the incumbent decides to step aside, has fundraisers scheduled for Monday in London, Ky., and Tuesday in Lexington. Grayson’s second-quarter haul is significant because it will...

Kentucky Senate President David Williams says he’s not running for the U.S. Senate in 2010. Williams, a Republican, says he doesn’t have time to focus on a U.S. Senate bid. Instead, Williams says, he’s seeking another term in the state Senate and looking to retain the Republican lead in that chamber. U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, also a Republican, currently holds the post and says he’s seeking another term. But Bunning has been viewed as one of the more vulnerable incumbents, and some party leaders have not exactly embraced his candidacy. Williams says he’s not endorsing another candidate in the GOP...