Conway
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Legal Newsline)- Republican Rand Paul has apparently defeated his Democratic opponent, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, in the state's U.S. Senate race.
Shortly after 7 p.m., The Associated Press called the race for Paul. With just 9 percent of the state's precincts counted at the time, Paul was up 10 percentage points over Conway, 55 to 45.
The Kentucky Senate seat was previously held by Republican Sen. Jim Bunning, who retired the seat.
The race for Bunning's seat has been a bitter one, with Paul, the son of famously Libertarian U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, attacking the Democrat Conway for an ad criticizing his opponent's alleged college antics and questioning his religious faith.
Paul, following a heated debate with Conway last month, went as far as refusing to shake his rival's hand.
"I will not shake hands with someone who attacks my religion and attacks my Christian beliefs," Paul said at the end of the hour-long televised debate held at the University of Louisville.
Much of the exchange's discussion that night had focused on the ad by Conway about the now-ophthalmologist's involvement in a secret society during college that was allegedly banned for mocking Christianity. Read more here.
Most recently, the Republican Senatorial candidate also was forced to issue an apology and release one of his campaign volunteers after the man stepped on the head of a female liberal activist.
Paul has been married for 19 years to his wife Kelley. The two currently reside in Bowling Green and have three sons, William, 17; Duncan, 13; and Robert, 10.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by e-mail at jessica@legalnewsline.com.