Rand Paul

1. A conservative Republican with libertarian views, Rand Paul is running for the U.S. Senate in 2010 to replace outgoing KY Senator Jim Bunning. Rand is the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul. According to Rand himself, he was NOT named after author Ayn Rand. Paul helped found the Kentucky Taxpayers United, an anti-tax group, in 1994. He favors eliminating the Federal Reserve system, the U.S. Dept. of Education, the IRS, the federal income tax, the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other government programs. Paul also opposes abortion under any circumstances, even in cases of rape and incest. He has publicly criticized the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Born in Pennsylvania, Rand Paul attended Baylor University in Waco, TX, and Duke University in NC. He works as an ophthalmologist in Bowling Green, KY. 2. A favorite candidate of the U.S. Tea Party movement, Paul won the Republican Senate nomination in May 2010, defeating KY Sec. of State Trey Grayson. He has been endorsed by Gun Owners of America, Steve Forbes, FreedomWorks and Sarah Palin, among others. 3. Rand Paul has made several explosive remarks on the campaign trail and in his writings. In late May 2010, he called President Obama "un-American" for criticizing BP regarding the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He has also explicitly criticized government laws banning discrimination, reversing himself partially when his spoken and written statements were broadcast nationally.