Kentucky’s Charismatic Senator – A Look at Rand Paul’s Greatest Achievements

Most who follow American politics will know of Rand Paul, Republican U.S. Senator from Kentucky. Paul has made unsuccessful runs to become his party’s nominee for president. He is also part of an influential American political family.

Paul’s father, Ron Paul, is a former U.S. Representative from Texas, the state where Rand was raised as a child and attended college. The Kentucky Senator married his wife Kelley Ashby in 1990. His 30-year marriage to Kelley is one of Paul’s self-professed special moments of his life.

However, the 58-year-old politician has experienced many achievements, both in his personal and political careers. He is a certified member of the American Board of Ophthalmology, plus the proud father of three children. Let’s take a look at some of Rand Paul’s greatest achievements.

Early Political Influence

Of course, having a father that was a United States Congressman certainly spurred Paul’s interest in politics. Some of his earliest political achievements were during his time as a student at Baylor University in Texas, and soon after his graduation.

His pursuits into American politics started to take shape when he took a semester off from school at Baylor in 1984, to help with his father’s Senate challenge. When his father ran a campaign for the Libertarian nomination for president in 1988, Paul was instrumental in those efforts as well.

Just three years after graduation, Paul was the campaign manager for his father’s successful bid to regain a seat in the United States House of Representatives from Texas. Paul’s diligence helped his father return to the House after a 12-year absence.

The elder Paul’s successful campaign included a primary victory over an incumbent that was endorsed by Newt Gingrich and George W. Bush. He credited his son with many of the strategic alliances and efforts that won the election. Some of Rand Paul’s earliest political achievements happened even before he chose to run for public service himself.

The Eyes Have It

Rand Paul’s impressive political achievements notwithstanding, he has made important contributions to humanity. In 1993, Paul completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

After a successful five-year tenure with Downing McPeak Vision Centers, he moved to his current home in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Paul has specializations in cataract and glaucoma treatments, plus LASIK surgery and corneal transplants.

One of his greatest career achievements was the establishment of the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic. Through the organization’s efforts, hundreds of low-income people from surrounding communities were able to secure life-changing eye exams and corrective procedures.

Paul’s tireless efforts helping the underprivileged gain access to otherwise expensive eye care procedures did not go unnoticed. The Lions Club International Foundation awarded Paul the esteemed Melvin Jones Fellow Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services. It was one of Paul’s greatest and most respected career achievements that are not part of his political resume.

Senatorial Achievements

The achievements that rank politicians are those that they make during the time in public service. Paul has never been shy about verbalizing his feelings and opinions concerning controversial topics. He has also stood behind his tenets by sponsoring a number of important pieces of legislation.

• S.162 – One of Senator Rand Paul’s first sponsored bills was S. 162. He has campaigned on smaller government, including spending accountability. This bill, entitled Cut Federal Spending Act of 2011 supports one of his biggest political focuses, abusive government spending.
• S. 768 – News media has covered increasingly more prevalent situations when our federal government faced a shutdown. Paul sponsored S.768, the Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2011. A similar bill was sponsored by Paul in 2019, S. 147.
• S. 1050 – As FISA warrants became front-and-center news in 2016, Paul had already sponsored legislation in 2011 to impose limits on various aspects of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to protect Americans. S.1050 was introduced on May 23, 2011.
• S. 1973 – During the 114th Congress, Paul sponsored S. 1973, a bill designed to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 directly as it relates to limitations on deductions for interest fees on student debt. Paul’s bill also erased limitations on contributions made to various savings accounts for personal education.
• S. 2359 – Six years prior to the 2021 Capital Riots, Paul introduced S. 2359. The Defend Our Capital Act of 2015 required the District of Columbia to authorize five-year concealed carry permits to authorized individuals who completed an application.
• S. 159 – Paul has long been a supporter of The Right to Life initiative. In 2019, he sponsored S. 159, The Life at Conception Act of 2019. He proved his courage to support his campaign promises with authenticating legislation. This bill would guarantee the right to live in the U.S. Constitution applies to all stages of life beginning at conception.

Rand Paul was a prominent name, albeit unsuccessfully, in a campaign to secure the Republican nomination for President in 2016. Some envision that he could be formidable if he chose to pursue the nomination in the future.

His political career achievements have included appointments to important Senate Committees such as the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

However, as impressive as the political career of Rand Paul has been, some of his greatest achievements have come outside the political spectrum. He has a unique political vision, but Rand Paul has also helped save the vision of hundreds.