Rand Paul
Bio |
Rand Paul is an American Republican politician and physician who earned his medical degree from Duke University after attending Baylor University as an undergraduate. Paul currently serves as a U.S. Senator for the state of Kentucky, a position he has held since 2011. In 2016, Paul ran for the Republican nomination in the Presidential election, eventually suspending his campaign in February 2016. |
Status and Position |
Current US Senator of Kentucky |
Political Party and Jurisdiction |
Republican, Kentucky |
Elections |
Election Jurisdiction |
Started Campaign |
Campaign Status |
Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2022 Senate Election Kentucky 2 | Kentucky 2 | No | N/A | N/A |
Campaign Financing |
Paul's campaign is about 65% funded by large and individual contributions. His top contributions come from those who are retired and the securities/investment industry. |
Voting Rights |
Rand Paul has introduced the Voting Rights Restoration Act which helps expand the right to vote. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues |
Stance |
Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Against | He is opposed to universal healthcare. Paul warns that a Medicare for All approach tolerates too much government intervention in the healthcare system. He advocates for a free-market solution to healthcare. |
| Socialized Healthcare | Against | He is unsupportive of socialized healthcare. |
| Private Healthcare | For | Paul sees private healthcare as creating competitive pricing and more choices. |
| LGBT Rights | Against | He is unsupportive of LGBT rights at the federal level. Paul does not believe that LGBT people should be validated at the federal level. He is a proponent of marriage privatization. He spoke out against the Equality Act of 2015. |
| Taxes | Against | He is against taxation. Paul's tax reform plan consists of massive tax cuts. He would like to institute a 14.5% flat income tax rate. |
| Flat Tax Rate | For | Rand Paul has publicly advocated for a 14.5% flat tax rate on all Americans. Paul's tax reform plan consists of massive tax cuts. He would like to institute a 14.5% flat income tax rate. |
| Abortion | Against | He is pro-life. Paul holds the sanctity of life as the highest priority. He believes that it is the government's duty to protect the right to life. |
| Gun Control | Against | He opposes gun control legislation. As a conservative libertarian, Paul stands behind the right to bear arms. He does not see gun control as effectively mitigating gun violence. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | He does not yet have a strong stance on assisted suicide. As a conservative libertarian, Paul stands behind the right to bear arms. He does not see gun control as effectively mitigating gun violence. |
| Government Interference | Against | Paul advocates for eliminating the Department of Education in order to limit the scope of power that the government has. |
| Planned Parenthood | Against | He is pro-life. |
| Welfare | Against | He does not support welfare programs. Paul sees welfare programs as a huge reason for wasteful spending. He believes that funding to entitlement programs should be cut. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He does not have a strong stance on stem cell research. |
| Death Penalty | Nuance | He is not necessarily for or against the death penalty. Paul has spoken out against the death penalty. However, he ultimately thinks that it should be an issue decided by states. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Against | Paul has introduced legislation to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenders. |
| Military Spending | Against | He opposes increased defense spending. |
| War on Terrorism | Against | Paul believes that the presence of the US abroad should be limited. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | He is a proponent of free trade. Paul sees trade barriers as inhibiting domestic economic growth. He signed a letter to President Trump asking him to preserve and modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). |
| United Nations power | Against | Paul hopes to dissolve the United Nations. |
| Nationalism | Unknown | He does not have a clear stance on nationalism. |
| Free Markets | For | He is a proponent of free markets. Paul sees free markets as the most conducive to investment and entrepreneurship. He sees government economic interference as overbearing on small businesses. |
| Brexit | For | He has praised the Brexit decision. |
| Affirmative Action | Against | He argues that decisions should be based off merit, not race. |
| Government Spending | Against | Paul is a fiscal conservative and thus denounces increased spending. |
| Charter Schools | For | Paul points to the fact that charter schools increase choices. |
| Common Core | Against | Paul opposes Common Core standards. The Senator thinks that the education system should be dictated by local needs. He sees Common Core as an over-extension of the federal government. |
| Clean Energy | Nuanced | He does not necessarily support funding for clean energy. Paul argues that clean energy and fossil fuels should both be dictated by the free market. He would like to cut the red tape to allow growth in the renewable energy sector. |
| Religious Freedom | For | He supports religious freedom. Paul believes that the right to practice one's own religion is inalienable. He also contends that this right should be extended to individuals. |
| Separation of Church and State | For | He supports the separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | He does not yet have an explicit position on reparations. |
| Border Control | For | He supports increased border security. Paul believes that the securing of the US' Southern border is crucial to immigration reform. Although he is a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform, he does not believe that it is possible to create effective change without increased security. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He does not have a clear stance on this issue. |
| DACA | Nuanced | While he does not believe in the DACA order in itself, he does believe in giving the children a path to citizenship in a bipartisan way. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Against | He is unsupportive of federal funding for sanctuary cities. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Paul has introduced a bill that would legalize medical marijuana at the federal level. |