A Republican senator and 2016 presidential hopeful was assaulted in front of his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Friday afternoon, by a neighbor.
Two-term Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was attacked while mowing his lawn at 3:21 p.m. local time Friday, local police reported.
Authorities say a neighbor, 59-year-old Rene Albert Boucher, is suspected in the assault and has been taken into custody. Boucher is a registered Democrat and donated to Paul’s 2010 Democratic opponent.
The suspect “had intentionally assaulted Paul, causing a minor injury,” police reported.
A family friend said Paul was hurt, but not seriously injured.
“He’s in some pain, but he’s going to be fine,” Robert Porter told The Washington Post.
Porter explained that the senator had been listened to music on his headphones while mowing his lawn when Boucher attacked.
Paul “got blindsided. He didn’t hear him or see his neighbor come over.”
Boucher reportedly patented a pain relief product marketed by QVC as the Therm-a-Vest.
According to The Daily Caller, at the time of his arrest, Boucher’s Facebook page was littered with hyperbolic anti-Trump posts, including a May 17th entry which read: “May Robert Mueller fry Trump’s gonads.”
It is unclear at this point whether the assault was politically motivated.
This June, a supporter of 2016 Democratic presidential hopeful Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders opened fire on Republican congressmen and staffers at baseball practice outside of Washington DC.
Five people were wounded in the shooting attack, including Majority House Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who was in serious condition for weeks following the shooting.