Rep. Ron Paul’s son has decided to run for Senate in Kentucky.
Rand Paul, the son of 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul, ended months of speculation Wednesday by saying he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated next year by fellow Republican Jim Bunning.
The Bowling Green ophthalmologist told The Associated Press he is entering the race and plans to run as a candidate with “outsider” credentials.
Paul will have a tough road ahead, though. Trey Grayson (R) is widely considered the frontrunner in the primary and general election. Paul will need to catch up quickly.
Paul will have to overcome the fundraising prowess of Grayson, a rising star in the Kentucky GOP, to win the nomination. Even without announcing his candidacy, Grayson reported raising more than $600,000 in the second quarter for an exploratory committee he formed to consider the race.
To be competitive in the primary election, Paul said he likely will need about $2 million.
Borrowing a strategy from his father’s Republican presidential campaign, Paul said he plans to lean heavily on Web-based fundraising. His father banked $6 million in one day from an Internet fundraiser.
Paul’s single-day fundraiser is scheduled for Aug. 20. He set a goal of $1 million.