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Bill Allowing Simultaneous Campaigns Passes Kentucky Senate Committee

A revised bill that would allow Rand Paul to run for Senate re-election and the White House at the same time is gaining ground.

A Kentucky Senate committee passed the measure after it was changed to specify that the bill applies only to those running for either President or Vice-President of the U.S. Every Republican and one Democrat on the committee voted to forward the bill on to the full Senate.

Current Kentucky law disallows a candidate from appearing twice on a general election ballot.

Bill sponsor Damon Thayer told the Lexington Herald-Leaderthat the changes to the bill were modeled after a statute in Wisconsin that allowed GOP Congressman Paul Ryan to run for Vice President and the U.S. House in 2012.

Senator Reggie Thomas, one of the Democrats who voted against the measure, said it “defies common sense.”

U.S. Senator Rand Paul is strongly considering a run for the White House in 2016, but he has said he will seek re-election to the Senate even if he enters the presidential contest.

Leaders in the Democratic-controlled House oppose the bill.

The award-winning news team at WKU Public Radio consists of Dan Modlin, Kevin Willis, Lisa Autry, and Joe Corcoran.
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