Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) released a new ad taking aim at his Democratic opponent, Charles Booker, over previous comments in support of defunding the police.
In the 30-second television spot titled “Strife,” a clip of Booker on MSNBC was included in which he stated, “I think now is the time that we need to actually do that work,” when questioned about whether he supports defunding law enforcement.
The ad also includes Jerry Stephenson, who leads the Midwest Church of Christ in Louisville, accusing the Kentucky Democrat of “aligning himself with a fringe element that has no place in the African American community. The only thing that it does is divide and bring strife in the community.”
That’s followed by a couple whose son died in a drive-by shooting stating, “There’s people out here like me that need the police and Charles Booker is not the answer.”
Paul told The Washington Examiner that crime is one of the leading concerns that he has heard from constituents in the Bluegrass State.
“[Democrats] discovered, guess what? Nobody in the public really wants to take on the police other than a few radicals. And so now they’re trying to run away from their positions. But, you know, we decided to make sure that people in Kentucky know that my opponent at least has said it many, many times,” Paul said.
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“I think it’s important that we show that there’s a contrast. I’ve spent the last year basically honoring the police, giving awards to the police who have been wounded, and trying to make sure that the public is aware of how much we do need police in our communities,” he added.
Paul went on to note the increase in crime in Louisville in recent years, asserting that he believes law enforcement needs to receive ample support.
“If you look in Louisville, we have a higher per-capita murder rate than Chicago does,” Paul said.
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“If you look at our ad, we have a family that is interviewed for the ad, and that family lost a 19-year-old son to violence. And they think … having less police isn’t the answer — that we actually need more police,” he continued.
Since initially expressing support for defunding the police, Booker has walked back his stance, stating on The Medhi Hasan Show
last year that “we need to fully fund public safety, and militarized police operations are not doing that.”
Paul’s race is rated “Solid R” by nonpartisan handicapper the Cook Political Report.
