Illustration by Gabriel Sanchez
Jim Gray illustration
Warning that “you cannot shrink your way to greatness,” Lexington Mayor Jim Gray on Friday morning pressed his long-shot bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Rand Paul before a breakfast gathering of the city’s business leaders and government officials.
As he does everywhere, the 62-year-old Democrat focused on his business bona fides, first as the former president and CEO of his family’s Gray Construction and later as a leader and top executive of Lexington.
“You know me as your mayor, but I’m here today as your next United States senator,” Gray told the crowd, which was brought together by Commerce Lexington as part of its ongoing series of public policy talks.
Paul, the Republican incumbent who is scheduled to speak before the same gathering in a couple of weeks, maintains a commanding lead in most polls. Fivethirtyeight.com, the data-centric website run by Nate Silver, pegs Gray’s chances of winning the Nov. 8 election at less than 14 percent.
On Friday morning, Gray criticized Paul for his recent failed presidential run and lack of legislative accomplishments.
“A U.S. senate seat is a terrible thing to waste,” Gray said. “I will be a full-time senator for Kentucky.”
Gray touched on a variety of economic issues. He said as senator he would focus on building infrastructure, including everything bridges and roads to high-speed internet capabilities, as well as “doubling down” on Kentucky’s advanced manufacturing.
"We have always grown our way out of adversity," Gray said, pointing to post-Depression public works programs and post-World War II initiatives as models.
He defended the federal Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, though he said problem areas need to be addressed. He also declared that new federal overtime rules that are not popular with some businesspeople should be embraced. Both issues, Gray said, were about strengthening the middle class.
“America is built on a rising middle class,” he said. “That’s the promise of America.”