Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul

Congressional Senators In my state of Kentucky, our Senators are Republican Mitch McConnell and Republican Rand Paul. Mitch McConnell is the Senate Majority Leader and may be considered an Establishment politician, as he has been in Congress since 1985 (Majority Leader, 2017). Rand Paul may be considered an outsider. He came into politics after his father Ron Paul began showing signs of exiting politics. The Tea Party wave and the Libertarian wave combined to win Rand Paul his seat.

He is often viewed as the anti-Establishment candidate, as he often supports or opposes policies not on party lines but on moral lines that he assesses from a conservative or even Libertarian point of view. For instance, his opposition to the Saudi Arms Sales, recently signed by President Trump, has put him at odds with his party (Republicans) and in fact with most of the Establishment. For this reason, I support Rand Paul's re-election and oppose Mitch McConnell's re-election.

Kentucky's major cities are Louisville, Lexington and the Greater Cincinnati Area (Newport/Florence). The capital is Frankfurt. The state is predominantly rural as there is a lot of farmland in Kentucky. The urban areas, however, are home to colleges, sports, stadiums, businesses, etc. Lexington and Louisville are both home to two of the biggest names in college athletics. They are popular for horse racing (the Kentucky Derby), auto racing, and tourism (Ft. Knox). Northern Kentucky (Newport-Florence) has the major airport for Cincinnati (CVG-Covington).

The unique makeup of my state does not really influence my policy positions, however. My state leans Republican in the Senate as it is a more conservative state in some ways (home schooling is a big issue in Kentucky). McConnell has been in service for over 30 years. Paul is still considered a junior senator, having come in under the Tea Party banner following the 2008 economic crisis (he was elected in 2010) (Meet Rand, 2017). McConnell's voting record is in line with party expectations. Paul's is not.

Paul is not afraid to challenge the status quo and stick to principles that he learned from his father. I supported his father because of the Libertarian principles he argued for and I would support Rand for the same reason. I would say that Rand acts as both a delegate and a trustee. He was elected because he represented a growing movement in America that wanted change in D.C.

He opposed the Establishment politicians on the same grounds his father did and so he was elected by his constituents to follow through with his campaign promises to fight Washington corruption. At the same time, he is also seen as one who can exercise his own judgment and make decisions on policies that affect Americans. He is seen as trustworthy in that regard. Mainly, however, he is a delegate who was elected to represent Kentuckians who are fed up with Establishment politics.

McConnell on the other hand is continuously re-elected because he has strong Establishment backing and funding and his constituents believe he represents their values. In conclusion, there is a good mix of pro- and anti-Establishment voters in Kentucky (as there.