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

New York Times

After the Kentucky Derby, expect Rand Paul to get more favorable coverage on Fox News
(Image credit: New York Times)

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:

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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 Weber, The Week US

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.