The two men vying for Kentucky's open U.S. Senate seat squared off for about thirty minutes Sunday in a nationally televised debate.Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Jack Conway shared their views during appearance on the Fox News Sunday program.In a broadcast that originated from Louisville, Paul and Conway covered issues such as the federal debt, tax cuts, the health care overhaul and Kentucky's illegal drug problem.Conway has attacked Paul in his ads for being soft on drugs, pointing to Paul's statement that it's not a 'pressing issue." Paul says his remarks were taken out of context."All I said is that like most problem, the more local control the better, the more the decision are made by sheriffs and local communites, the better chance we have of fixing the problem," Paul said. Paul said Conway, the state attorney general, has spent more time recently out of state raising campaign funds than fighting Kentucky's meth problem. Conway responded: I've been focused on drugs from day one, and Rand Paul thinks they're not a pressing issue...the local governments can't do this on their own," Conway said. Conway and Paul are vying for the seat now held by Republican Jim Bunning, who's retiring.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
