After the Kentucky Derby, expect Rand Paul to get more favorable coverage on Fox News

(Image credit: New York Times)

last updated 8 January 2015

The Ron Paul family hasn't exactly been warmly embraced by the Republican establishment, and it's fair to say that the former congressman/paterfamilias was neither the presidential choice of Fox News nor The Wall Street Journal. His son Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), has fared a little bit better, but Rand Paul's noninterventionist foreign policy and other Republican heterodoxies have not endeared him much to Rupert Murdoch's influential right-leaning media outlets.

And then, at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, this happened:

The story, according to The New York Times' Jason Horowitz, is that Paul invited Murdoch to be his guest at the Derby about a month ago, and Murdoch — who'd never been to the first of the big American horse races — accepted eagerly (for an octogenarian billionaire power broker). "I said absolutely," Murdoch told the Times, indicating that it wasn't all about playing the ponies: "It's a good thing for me. He's a very interesting man.... I'm very open minded."

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Horowitz describes the public spectacle of Paul leading Murdoch around the seersucker-suited set as "part getting-to-know-you and part political audition, and marked a potential turn in the race for president." That may or may not be true, but expect Fox News and The Wall Street Journal editorial page to give Paul a fairer hearing from now on — maybe. In the marquee race, Murdoch bet (a lot, it seems) on Wicked Strong; Paul wagered on Danza. Which means neither man picked a winning horse on Saturday, at least not literally. --Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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