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A collective show of defiant fists were lifted in the air at the conclusion of an anti-Trump rally in downtown Louisville on Tuesday morning. 1/24/17(Photo: Marty Pearl/Special to The C-J)Buy Photo

A group of protesters gathered in downtown Louisville Tuesday to rally against President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks and in support of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who voted against one of the selections on Monday.

Approximately 50 people showed up to the "Stop Trump's #SwampCabinet Rally" outside the Romano Mazzoli Federal Building. For 30 minutes, the group held signs and cheered on fellow rally-goers as they read personal accounts of why they oppose Trump's picks.

Kim Hibbard, co-founder of Indivisible Kentucky, a state-wideprogressive movement, and protest organizer, said she plans to hand-deliver the stories to Paul, who has an office inside the Federal Building.

"The goal of today's rally was to thank Sen. Paul for voting 'No' on the confirmation of CIA director Mike Pompeo," said Hibbard, of Louisville. "We also wanted him to come down and listen to the stories people read with their concerns."

In response to the rally, a spokeswoman for Paul directed the reporter to an op-ed he wrote for Rare.us, in which he explained why he did not vote for Pompeo."I swore an oath to defend the Constitution and the rights of the American people," Paul wrote.

The packet of stories, which was read aloud and provided to the media, featured six personal accounts opposing Cabinet nominees, including potential Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

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Constance Merritt, of Louisville, read a story about her opposition of Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price, R-Ga., who has previously proposed a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act.

Merritt, who has a disability, said she's been on Medicare for most of her life and is concerned that her health care will be cut under Price. She said she feels that the proposed Cabinet members are all about their self-interests and not the interests of the public.

"I wanted to tell my personal story," she said, adding that her wife has also benefited from the mental and physical healthcare provided by the Affordable Care Act. "I was an activist in 2006 against the Iraq War and I did see how activism turned the tide and got senators to move against the war."

Lori Hurley, of Louisville, attended the rally with her husband, John, to protest against Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick for Secretary of Education. She said she feels that DeVos would not help close the education gap in Kentucky, which was ranked No. 46 in the countryin terms of educationby Wallet Hub on Tuesday.

"We can't afford in this day and age to not educate people properly," she said. "We also need to bring attention to the fact that people are paying attention. None of these nominees are good, but it comes down to education for me."

Hibbard, who co-founded Indivisible Kentucky just three weeks ago, said that the group plans to continue sharing stories with Senators Paul and Mitch McConnell (R-KY.) The Tuesday protest was held in solidarity with more than 100 protests nationwide, which were organized by MoveOn.org.

"We're trying to get the word that we have concerns and want them to hear them," she said.

Reporter Justin Sayers can be reached at 502-582-4252 or jsayers@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at@_JustinSayers.

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Local group rallies against Trump, for Paul - The Courier-Journal