Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s secretary of state, is threatening to take Rand Paul to court to block him from running simultaneously for president and reelection to the Senate in 2016.

In her first television interview since Sen. Mitch McConnell routed her by 15 points last month, the Democratic Senate nominee declared that she will not be “bullied” by Paul, who is a heavy favorite to win a second Senate term if he’s allowed to stay on the ballot.

“The law is clear,” Grimes told WHAS-TV in Louisville. “You can’t be on the ballot twice for two offices.”
“We’ll look to the court for any guidance that is needed,” she added. “And at the end of the day, we’re not going to be bullied.”

Grimes also told the Louisville ABC affiliate in the interview published Wednesday that she has not decided whether to seek a second term as secretary of state in the 2015 election.

The 36-year-old left no doubt that she continues to harbor political ambitions beyond the Bluegrass State’s chief elections official. She would be a top Democratic recruit to run for Senate in 2016 if Paul bows out.

Grimes said she knows “there’s a bigger plan in store” and said she is “excited for 2015.” She’s also been talked about as a Democratic primary challenger to Attorney General Jack Conway in next year’s Kentucky governor’s race or against GOP Rep. Andy Barr in 2016.

“There’s encouragement from all different directions, no shortage of opinions, that’s for sure,” she told the station. “But no election should be run unless it’s in your heart and the facts are there to win, and that’s what I will weigh before I make any determination.”

Grimes’ comments about Paul seem aimed as much at rallying her liberal base after a tough loss as anything else. If she doesn’t run for reelection as the state’s chief election official, she would have no legal basis to challenge Paul’s dual candidacy.

Republicans failed to take over the Kentucky Statehouse last month, which would have given them control of the state Legislature and the ability to override the veto of Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Steve Beshear. That would have enabled Paul’s allies to change the law to allow him to appear on the ballot twice, as some other states allow; Vice President Joe Biden was elected to a new Senate term in Delaware the same day he ran as Barack Obama’s running mate.

Paul has announced that he will run for reelection to the Senate, and his team expresses confidence that they will find a way legally to allow him to also run for president.

A Paul spokesman did not have an immediate response to Grimes’ legal threat.