bobbyw24
07-06-2010, 10:12 AM
“[Rand Paul is] a very astute politician,” said Sloan, the former mayor. “He understands that he needs support from the establishment wing of the party as well as the tea party wing. And if he can combine those two, I think he’s going to be very hard to beat.”
Rand Paul's Political Rise is Unique
This article first appeared in The Sunday Enquirer, July 4, 2010.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - A year ago, Rand Paul burst onto the political scene seemingly out of nowhere, stunning many with his 23-point victory in last month’s Republican U.S. Senate primary.
Paul’s rapid political ascent also came as a surprise in Bowling Green, where prior to the campaign he was known chiefly as a well-respected eye surgeon.
“I don’t know that Rand Paul was a household name in Bowling Green,” said former mayor Patsy Sloan, a Democrat. “Politically active people certainly knew who his father is, but I don’t think that Rand Paul was identified as a civic leader. He’s certainly known as a very capable doctor, but he’s not that well-known otherwise.”
Part of Paul’s success is due to running as an outsider in an intensely anti-incumbent climate – and a look at his life in Bowling Green seems to back up his outsider claim.
Since moving to Bowling Green in 1993, Paul, 47, has been involved in his church, medical community and charitable groups, but has never been active in the political and business communities.
“I don’t think he’s as well-known as people would think,” said Scott Lasley, Warren County GOP chairman and a political science professor at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
“He’s certainly got a number of very strong supporters, (but) I wouldn’t say he’s a dominant figure in the community, by any stretch of the imagination,” Lasley said.
Paul was a member of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce for just one year in 1999.
And while many candidates rise through the ranks of local politics, Paul has never been involved in the Warren County GOP, nor had he ever sought state or local office prior to the Senate race.
But those who know Paul say he’s had political ambitions since at least 1993.
MORE:
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/nkypolitics/2010/07/06/rand-pauls-political-rise-unique/
Rand Paul's Political Rise is Unique
This article first appeared in The Sunday Enquirer, July 4, 2010.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - A year ago, Rand Paul burst onto the political scene seemingly out of nowhere, stunning many with his 23-point victory in last month’s Republican U.S. Senate primary.
Paul’s rapid political ascent also came as a surprise in Bowling Green, where prior to the campaign he was known chiefly as a well-respected eye surgeon.
“I don’t know that Rand Paul was a household name in Bowling Green,” said former mayor Patsy Sloan, a Democrat. “Politically active people certainly knew who his father is, but I don’t think that Rand Paul was identified as a civic leader. He’s certainly known as a very capable doctor, but he’s not that well-known otherwise.”
Part of Paul’s success is due to running as an outsider in an intensely anti-incumbent climate – and a look at his life in Bowling Green seems to back up his outsider claim.
Since moving to Bowling Green in 1993, Paul, 47, has been involved in his church, medical community and charitable groups, but has never been active in the political and business communities.
“I don’t think he’s as well-known as people would think,” said Scott Lasley, Warren County GOP chairman and a political science professor at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
“He’s certainly got a number of very strong supporters, (but) I wouldn’t say he’s a dominant figure in the community, by any stretch of the imagination,” Lasley said.
Paul was a member of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce for just one year in 1999.
And while many candidates rise through the ranks of local politics, Paul has never been involved in the Warren County GOP, nor had he ever sought state or local office prior to the Senate race.
But those who know Paul say he’s had political ambitions since at least 1993.
MORE:
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/nkypolitics/2010/07/06/rand-pauls-political-rise-unique/