Grimes threatens to take Rand Paul to court if he tries to run for two offices

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“I will not be bullied,” Ms. Grimes said. “I think hopefully the people of Kentucky understand that over the course of this past year, and I will not hesitate to seek help and assistance in the opinion of a court.”

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Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said she'd challenge Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) if he attempted to run for both Senate and president in 2016.


"The law is clear," Grimes told WHAS. "You can't be on the ballot twice for two offices."


Kentucky's current law says "no candidate's name shall appear on any voting machine or absentee ballot more than once," except for certain special elections, according to the AP.



Paul announced in early December he would run for Senate again in 2016. He also said he will decide on a presidential run in "the March/April time frame."


But Grimes said she wouldn't hesitate to "look to the court" to keep Paul from running for both.


"I will not be bullied," Grimes said. "I think hopefully the people of Kentucky understand that over the course of this past year, and I will not hesitate to seek help and assistance in the opinion of a court."
In November, Paul and Kentucky Republicans were looking into turning the state's presidential primary into a caucus, which would keep Paul's name from appearing on the ballot twice should he decide to make a bid for the White House.


A poll done by SurveyUSA in August showed many in Kentucky opposed a change to the law that would allow Paul to run for both offices.


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently said it would be a "tough challenge" for Paul to run for both offices in 2016.


"It is one of the things Senator Paul has to grapple with in trying to figure out what the way forward is," McConnell said at a recent event hosted by Politico.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/1...n_6347730.html

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Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer

But a member of Kentucky Senate leadership says there's lots of precedence for simultaneous races in other states, including U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) running for reelection and Vice-President in 2012 and Vice-President Joe Biden running for reelection to his Senate seat and Barack Obama's running mate in 2008.

The precedent was set when the Texas legislature changed its state law to allow Lyndon Johnson to run for both Vice-President and Senate in 1960.
"So it's a Democratic idea," said Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown). "I don't understand what the problem is."
Thayer said it is "likely" the Republican senate will again try to change the law in 2015.
"And the fact that the Senate has already passed a bill, just having one chamber take action on it probably helps Paul's legal case, should there be one," Thayer said.
It looks increasingly like there will be one.

http://www.whas11.com/story/news/pol...aces/20560501/