Rand Paul is a politician and physician from the United States who presently serves as the junior senator from Kentucky, alongside Mitch McConnell. In 2011, he was sworn in as a senator. Paul, who established his own ophthalmology practice in 1993, entered politics in 2010 when he sought a seat in the ‘United States Senate.’ Paul, an ardent supporter of the ‘Tea Party Movement,’ is a ‘Republican’ with conservative-libertarian beliefs. He actively participated in his father’s congressional and presidential campaigns, former Texas representative Ron Paul. In 2016, he declared his candidacy as a ‘Republican’ for the 2016 US presidential election. He came in fifth place among the twelve ‘Republican’ candidates. He is also the founder of the Kentucky anti-tax group Kentucky Taxpayers United. In 2009, he established the ‘Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic,’ a non-profit organization that offers eye examinations and surgeries to those in need. He also supports privacy reforms, term limits, and amendments to the balanced budget. In 2017, Paul was beaten severely by his neighbor and suffered fractured bones.
Youth and Early Life
Randal Howard Paul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 7, 1963, to Carol and Ron Paul. Ron’s father is a physician and a politician. Ron is also a former Texas representative who ran for the presidency three times. Rand was the third child of his parents’ five children. Rand was born in Pittsburgh, but he grew up in Lake Jackson, Texas. His father was the only obstetrician in Brazoria County for many years.
He graduated from ‘Brazoswood High School.’ During his time in school, he was a defensive back on the football team and was also very enthusiastic about swimming. After his father was elected to the ‘US House of Representatives,’ Rand’s interest in politics became apparent when he began interning in his father’s office. Paul was also present at the 1976 ‘Republican National Convention.’ In addition, he read about economists and Ayn Rand’s works.
In 1981, he attended ‘Baylor University’. There, he contributed frequently to ‘The Baylor Lariat,’ a student newspaper. He was also a member of a clandestine group known as ‘The NoZe Brotherhood.’ He left the university to enroll in the ‘Duke University School of Medicine,’ which was his father’s alma mater as well. This made it simple for Rand to enter graduate school, as no undergraduate degree was required. He received his medical degree in 1988 and finished his residency in 1993.
Rand Paul’s Career
Rand completed his internship at the ‘Georgia Baptist Medical Center’ in Atlanta, Georgia. After finishing his residency, he was hired by John Downing of ‘Downing McPeak Vision Centers’ and relocated to Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Then, he joined the ‘Graves Gilbert Clinic’ in Bowling Green, where he remained for ten years prior to establishing his own practice. During his medical career, he also conducted free eye surgeries on impoverished individuals in developing nations. As a protest against the ‘American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) board certification process, he founded the ‘National Board of Ophthalmology (NBO) in 1997.
The ‘ABO’ had changed its policy and begun issuing certificates with a 10-year validity period instead of a lifetime validity period, and the ‘NBO’ challenged this decision. The ‘NBO’ was incorporated in 1999 but dissolved in 2000 after failing to file certain documentation with the ‘Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office. It was re-established in 2005, only to be disbanded once more in 2011. In 2009, he founded the ‘Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic,’ a non-profit organization that provided eye care to underprivileged individuals.
Rand’s Political Profession
Rand’s political involvement began at age 13, and he frequently visited his father’s office. He was also the leader of the local chapter of ‘Young Conservatives of Texas’ at ‘Baylor University.’ In 1994, he founded “Kentucky Taxpayers United,” an anti-tax organization, after President Bush broke his commitment not to raise taxes during the election.
In 1996, he campaigned for his father’s congressional campaign, during which his father defeated Greg Laughlin, who was backed by the ‘National Republican Congressional Committee’ (NRCC) and leaders such as George W. Bush.
Rand, a lifelong ‘Republican,’ began his actual political involvement in 2009, when he gave a speech in support of the ‘Tea Party Movement’ as a potential candidate at one of the ‘Tea Party rallies. Then, he declared his candidacy for ‘US Senate as a ‘Republican.’ He defeated Trey Grayson to win.
He began preparing to confront Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway immediately. His statement that the 1964 Civil Rights Act was too broad and his concerns about its constitutionality, however, sparked a great deal of controversy.
On July 5, 2011, after defeating Conway in the general election, he was sworn in as the junior senator of Kentucky. Since the beginning of his tenure, he has focused on health, education, small businesses, the reduction of social security benefits, and the reduction of the federal debt.
He voted against the extension of three essential provisions of the ‘USA Patriot Act.’ In addition, he criticized President Obama for not obtaining consent for ‘Operation Odyssey Dawn.’ During the debt ceiling crisis, he stated that he would only support a debt ceiling increase if a balanced budget amendment was passed. Later, in 2012, he was in the news for his putative ‘Republican’ candidacy for the 2012 presidential election.
He questioned the use of drones and their prospective use in the United States in 2013. In the ‘Senate,’ he also delivered a nearly 13-hour filibuster against the confirmation of John O. Brennan as the new ‘Central Intelligence Agency’ (CIA) director.
Additionally, he cast doubt on legislative proposals to expand federal gun-control measures and threatened another filibuster. In 2014, he filed a lawsuit against Obama regarding the government’s acquisition of phone metadata, alleging that the government had violated the ‘Fourth Amendment.’
In 2015, he reintroduced the ‘Federal Reserve Transparency Act’ and ‘FAIR’ Act. Additionally, he spoke for over ten hours against the reauthorization of Section 215 of the ‘PATRIOT Act.’ In April 2015, he declared his candidacy for president. In May 2015, he spoke about the elimination of gun-free zones.
After Hillary Clinton declared her candidacy for president, Rand declared on social media that she would be a “disaster.” Nevertheless, in February 2016, he withdrew his candidacy from the ‘Republican Party,’ as he had failed to garner attention, particularly after a dismal performance at the ‘Iowa Caucus.’ Rand claims that his political career is far from over, despite appearances to the contrary. On November 8, 2016, he was re-elected to the Senate.
After Rand’s objection to the accession of Montenegro to the ‘North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Senator John McCain accused him in 2017 of collaborating with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, he was one of the 22 members who signed the letter urging President Trump to withdraw from the ‘Paris Agreement.’ Additionally, he questioned Trump’s missile attack on Syria.
He introduced a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act that, unlike Obamacare, included a $5,000 tax credit for each individual and did not mandate coverage for all. The Republicans withdrew the bill from a vote. In September 2017, he tweeted that the Graham-Cassidy measure retained 90 percent of Obamacare and was “more Obamacare Light.”
He also responded to Trump, stating that he could not be forced to support the bill, in response to the president’s tweet: “Rand Paul, or whoever votes against Hcare Bill, will forever (future political campaigns) be known as ‘the Republican who saved Obamacare.'”
Awards & Achievements
Paul co-wrote the 2011 book ‘The Tea Party Goes to Washington’. Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds was published by him in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, he was designated one of Time magazine’s “World’s 100 Most Influential People.” In addition, he has contributed to ‘Time.’
Personal History and Legacy
In 1990, Paul married Kelley Paul. Kelley is a self-employed writer. The couple is the parents of three children.
Paul has one impaired ear. Presently, he resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Paul was accosted by his 59-year-old neighbor Rene Boucher on November 3, 2017, while mowing his lawn while wearing noise-canceling headphones.
Rene was arrested and charged with one count of assault in the fourth degree, but he was released after posting a $7,500 surety.
Initially, it was stated that Paul had suffered only minor injuries, but it was later disclosed that the attack had fractured six ribs and punctured his lungs. On November 9, 2017, Boucher was accused of assaulting a member of ‘Congress,’ and he was sentenced to 30 days in prison and one year of supervised release.
Estimated Net Worth
Rand Paul is a physician and Republican legislator who represents Kentucky as the junior U.S. senator. Rand Paul has a net worth of $1.5 million, according to his most recent financial disclosure. Rand’s annual remuneration as a senator is $174,000.