Rand Paul presidential campaign, 2016

Rand Paul for President
Campaign Republican primaries
U.S. presidential election, 2016
Candidate Rand Paul
U.S. Senator from Kentucky 2011-
Affiliation Republican Party
Headquarters Washington, D.C
Key people Chip Englander (Manager)[1]
Bryan Reed (Deputy Manager)
Doug Stafford (Senior Advisor)
Sergio Gor (Communications)
Eleanor May (Media)
Vincent Harris (Digital)
Slogan Defeat the Washington machine. Unleash the American dream.
Website
http://www.randpaul.com/

On April 7, 2015, U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky announced the beginning of his campaign for President of the United States in the 2016 presidential election at the Galt House in Louisville.[2] Paul was first elected to the United States Senate in the 2010 midterm elections, an open seat that was also sought by Kentucky's Secretary of State and Attorney General.

Background

Rand Paul speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on March 14, 2013

On April 15, 2009, Rand Paul, a Bowling Green ophthalmologist, gave his first speech as a potential candidate for the United States Senate seat occupied by then-Senator Jim Bunning.[3] Following Bunning's announcement that he would not seek reelection, Paul entered the race on August 5, 2009, and would be opposed by Kentucky's Secretary of State Trey Grayson in the Republican primary.[4][5] Although Grayson was at first considered the frontrunner for the seat, Paul defeated Grayson on May 18, 2010, by a 23% margin, and would go on to challenge Kentucky's Attorney General Jack Conway in the general election in November.[6][7] Paul defeated Conway in the general election with 56% of the vote to 44% for Conway.

Rand Paul first acknowledged a possible 2016 presidential candidacy in January 2013.[8] Following the admission, Paul delivered the Tea Party response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on February 13, 2013,[9] prompting some pundits to call it the start of the 2016 Republican primaries.[10] On March 6–7, 2013, Paul engaged in a filibuster to delay voting on the nomination of John O. Brennan as the Director of the CIA. Paul questioned the Obama administration's use of drones and the stated legal justification for their potential use within the United States. Paul held the floor for 12 hours and 52 minutes.[11] Following his filibuster, Paul spoke at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C.,[12] where he won the presidential straw poll with 25% of the votes cast.[13]

Leading up to his decision about running for President, Paul visited several historically black colleges, including Howard University, Bowie State University, and Simmons College.[14] In addition, he visited Ferguson, Missouri, and also spoke at the Detroit Economic Club.[14][15] During his remarks, Paul highlighted his efforts to improve the criminal justice system by reforming mandatory minimum sentencing laws, and restoring voting rights of individuals with non-violent felonies, which Paul believes disproportionately effects the African American and Hispanic communities. Paul also introduced his plan to create "economic freedom zones" which would help areas of high unemployment, such as Louisville or Detroit, to reduce federal regulation and taxes to boost economic growth.[14] Paul received praise for his efforts from Lorraine Miller, acting President of the NAACP,[16] and he also sponsored legislation with Democratic U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand to improve the criminal justice system for young men and women in a "cycle of poverty and incarceration."[17]

Paul again spoke at CPAC in March 2014.[18][19][20] The day after his speech, he won the presidential straw poll for the second time in a row. With 31% of the votes cast, he won nearly triple the percentage of the runner-up, Texas senator Ted Cruz with 11%.[21][22][23] The following month, Paul spoke at the GOP Freedom Summit, an event organized by Americans for Prosperity and Citizens United.[24] The event was attended by several potential presidential candidates.[25] In his speech, he insisted that the GOP has to broaden its appeal in order to grow as a party. To do so, he said it cannot be the party of "fat cats, rich people and Wall Street" and that the conservative movement has never been about rich people or privilege, "we are the middle class", he said. Paul also said that conservatives must present a message of justice and concern for the unemployed and be against government surveillance to attract new people to the movement, including young people, and Hispanic and African Americans.[26][27][28]

In addition to his own political prospects, in the lead up to the 2014 midterm elections, Paul made a point to campaign for several Senate and Congressional candidates, including Joni Ernst and Rod Blum in Iowa, former U.S. Senator Scott Brown in New Hampshire, David Perdue in Georgia, Thom Tillis in North Carolina, Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and Pat Roberts in Kansas.[29] Paul launched a social media campaign titled "Hillary's Losers" which was meant to highlight many of the Democratic candidates who lost their bids for the U.S. Senate despite endorsements from Clinton.[30]

Rand Paul speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on February 27, 2015.

Near the end of 2014, Senator Paul made moves towards a presidential run, including hiring staff in several states, setting up offices, and hiring a campaign manager. In January 2015, Rand Paul gained the support of Texas Republican Party Chairman Steve Munisteri, a move seen as crucial in taking on potential rivals Governor Rick Perry and Senator Ted Cruz, both with deep ties to Texas. Paul hired a digital strategist who previously worked on the Senate campaign for Ted Cruz, Vincent Harris, and a campaign manager, Chip Englander, who led businessman Bruce Rauner's successful campaign for Governor in Illinois.[31] Longtime Paul advisor Doug Stafford will stay on as a senior political advisor to the Paul campaign.[31] Campaign operations have also begun in many of the early states, with the hiring of Steve Grubbs, a former Chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, to run Paul's potential Iowa campaign, Michael Biundo, formerly campaign manager for Rick Santorum's 2012 presidential bid, in New Hampshire, Chris LaCivita, who advised Senator Pat Roberts and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in his gubernatorial bid, in South Carolina, and John Yob, a campaign operative, based in Michigan.[31] Through his political action committee, known as Reinventing A New Direction (RAND) PAC, Paul toured many states seen as important in gathering both votes and fundraising dollars.[32]

After former Governor Mitt Romney announced that he would not seek a third presidential bid, political analyst Mark Halperin made a statement that he thought that Paul was the new frontrunner in the New Hampshire primary if it were to be held then.[33]

Rand Paul spoke at CPAC 2015 and received a plurality of votes in the straw poll for his third year in a row, with 26%.[34] On March 23, 2015, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz announced his candidacy for President of the United States, prompting some political analysts to compare Cruz's support with Paul's, stating that they are both vying for the anti-establishment wing of the party.[35] Shortly before Cruz's announcement, Paul made it clear to supporters and members of the media that he would be making an announcement on April 7, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville regarding the 2016 presidential election, and would follow up his announcement with a four state tour of various early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.[36]

Campaign

Rand Paul at the launch of his Presidential campaign at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 7, 2015

Senator Rand Paul officially announced his presidential candidacy on April 7, 2015 at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky.[2] His announcement featured several testimonials from supporters, and endorsements from prominent individuals, including former U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts, as well as his wife, Kelley who introduced her husband.[2] Within a day of his announcement, Paul raised $1 million, slightly outpacing fellow Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.[37] However, Paul also faced a $1 million dollar ad campaign against him, criticizing his foreign policy views.[38] Paul was also criticized for having heated exchanges with the press. Paul is known for being accessible to the media but he admitted in an interview on CNN to being "short-tempered" with the press.[39]

After announcing his campaign in Louisville, Kentucky, Paul embarked on a tour of four early states, which included stops in Milford, New Hampshire, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, Iowa City, Iowa, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Each event also featured local testimonials and endorsements of Paul's candidacy, including several state legislators, and members of Congress. Following his four state tour, Paul appeared on several Sunday morning shows to discuss his candidacy, with interviews on Meet the Press on NBC, Face the Nation on CBS, and State of the Union on CNN.

Fundraising

Within the first day of his campaign, Rand Paul raised over $1 million. On April 14, his campaign website had raised over $2 million. His political adviser, Doug Stafford, said he thought Paul could raise $50 million by March 2016.[40]

Dual candidacy issues

In April 2011, Paul filed to run for re-election to his Senate seat in 2016.[41] If he does become the Republican presidential (or vice-presidential) nominee, state law prohibits him from simultaneously running for re-election.[42] In March 2014, the Republican-controlled Kentucky Senate passed a bill that would allow Paul to run for both offices, but the Democratic-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives declined to take it up.[43][44][45] Paul spent his own campaign money in the 2014 legislative elections, helping Republican candidates for the State House in the hopes of flipping the chamber, thus allowing the legislature to pass the bill (Democratic Governor Steve Beshear's veto can be overridden with a simple majority).[46][47] However, the Democrats retained their 54–46 majority in the State House.[48][49][50] Paul in turn gave his support to the idea that the Kentucky Republican Party could decide to hold a caucus rather than a primary, which the party has agreed to do.[51]

Endorsements

References

  1. ↑ "Rand Paul announces campaign manager for likely 2016 campaign". Washington Post.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Camia, Catalina (April 7, 2015). "Rand Paul announces presidential run". USA today. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ The Tea Party Goes to Washington, Nashville: Center Street, 2011.
  4. ↑ Giroux, Greg (August 5, 2009). "Rand Paul Declares Candidacy For Kentucky Senate Seat". CQ Politics. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  5. ↑ Keck, Kristi (August 6, 2009). "Ron Paul's son following in father's footsteps". CNN. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Kentucky State Board of Elections : Statewide Results : 2010 Primary Election". Results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  7. ↑ "Official 2010 Kentucky Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky Secretary of State. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ Weinger, Mackenzie (January 28, 2013). "Rand Paul: GOP must 'evolve and adapt'". Politico. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Tea party State of the Union 2013 rebuttal: Rand Paul response (full text)". Politico. February 13, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Rand Paul: 'Big Government's Not A Friend To Those Who Are Trying To Get Ahead'". All Things Considered (NPR). February 14, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  11. ↑ Josh Voorhees (March 7, 2013). "Rand Paul Ends Epic Mr. Smith-Style Filibuster After More Than 12 Hours". Slate. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  12. ↑ Romano, Lois (March 14, 2013). "CPAC 2013: Marco Rubio, Rand Paul fight for the future of the GOP". Politico. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  13. ↑ Montanaro, Domenico (March 16, 2013). "Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll; Rubio close second". NBC News. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Abdullah, Halimah (2014-03-20). "Rand Paul: Will his star continue to rise?". CNN. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  15. ↑ Williams, Vanessa (2015-04-07). "Rand Paul’s criminal justice challenge — and how he might deal with it". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  16. ↑ Lewis, Matt (2014-04-22). "NAACP head praises Rand Paul". The Week. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  17. ↑ Kim, Seung Min (2014-07-08). "Rand Paul, Cory Booker team up for justice". Politico. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  18. ↑ McLaughlin, Seth (March 7, 2014). "Rand Paul urges conservatives to fight with him for liberty". Washington Times. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  19. ↑ Kirell, Andrew. "Rand Paul's Starkly Libertarian CPAC Speech: We Must Defend the Rights of All". Mediaite, LLC. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Rand Paul Showed Why The Conservative Base Loves Him Today". Business Insider. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  21. ↑ Lowery, Wesley (March 8, 2014). "2014 CPAC: Rand Paul wins second consecutive CPAC straw poll". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Rand Paul still on top, and other takeaways from CPAC 2014". CBS News. March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Sen. Rand Paul convincingly wins CPAC presidential straw poll". CNN. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are the big draws at the Freedom Summit". Washington Post.
  25. ↑ "Freedom Summit draws GOP hopefuls to N.H.". Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Obamacare' under attack as conservatives eye 2016". Associated Press. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Sen. Rand Paul Says Jeb Bush Was Wrong To Defend Undocumented Immigrants". Fox News. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Rand Paul Says Conservatives Need a Bold Message". Associated Press. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  29. ↑ Wollner, Adam (November 5, 2014). "How Did 2016 Hopefuls Do Tuesday Night? Here's Your Scorecard". National Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  30. ↑ Sherfinski, David (November 7, 2014). "Rand Paul: 'Clinton Democrats' became 'Hillary's losers' during election landslide". Washington Times. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Costa, Robert (January 13, 2015). "Rand Paul announces campaign manager for likely 2016 campaign". Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  32. ↑ Rubin, Jennifer (January 9, 2015). "Is Rand Paul going to run?". Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  33. ↑ Halperin, Mark (January 30, 2015). "Mark Halperin: Rand Paul Is Now Front-Runner in N.H.". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Rand Paul wins 2015 CPAC straw poll". Fox News. February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  35. ↑ Topaz, Jonathan (2015-03-23). "Rand Paul, reacting to Ted Cruz, talks ‘winnability’". Politico. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  36. ↑ "Rand Paul to kick off 2016 bid April 7 with ambitious five-state tour". The Washingtion Times.
  37. ↑ Ballhaus, Rebecca (April 8, 2015). "Rand Paul Sprints to $1 Million Fundraising Mark". Wall Street Journal.
  38. ↑ Cheney, Kyle (April 4, 2015). "Hawks will hit Rand Paul in $1 million TV blitz". Politico. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  39. ↑ Killough, Ashley (2015-04-10). "Rand Paul hits bumps in first week of campaign". CNN. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
  40. ↑ Jesse Byrnes (April 8, 2015). "Paul raises $1M after launch". TheHill.com. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  41. ↑ Jennifer Epstein (April 19, 2011). "Rand Paul files for reelection race five years away". Politico.
  42. ↑ Manu Raju. "Rand Paul, Marco Rubio face 2016 bind". POLITICO.
  43. ↑ Berman, Matt (April 2, 2014). "Marco Rubio Won't Run for Senate in 2016 if He Runs for President". National Journal. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  44. ↑ Youngman, Sam (March 18, 2014). "Kentucky Senate passes bill to let Rand Paul run for re-election and president in 2016". www.kentucky.com (Kentucky.com). Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  45. ↑ Silverleib, Alan (April 17, 2014). "Dead for now: Kentucky bill allowing twin Paul 2016 runs". www.cnn.com (CNN). Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  46. ↑ "The Obscure Kentucky Contests That Could Alter Rand Paul's 2016 Plans". National Journal. August 14, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Will Rand Paul Have to Risk His Senate Seat for the Presidency?". Reason.com. September 2, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  48. ↑ "Democrats maintain control of Kentucky House of Representatives". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  49. ↑ "Democrats hold Kentucky House, a minor blow to Rand Paul's presidential hopes". The Washington Post. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Kentucky looks at primary change that would help Rand Paul". Politico. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  51. ↑ Janet Hook (February 24, 2015). "Mitch McConnell Backs Rand Paul’s Bid to Run for Both Senate, White House". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 February 2015. In a shift first reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader, a McConnell aide said the senator had decided to support Mr. Paul’s proposal that the Kentucky GOP establish a presidential selection caucus in March separate from the state’s May primary for other offices.
  52. ↑ Manu Raju; Lauren French (1 April 2015). "Mitch McConnell-Rand Paul alliance has its limits". Politico.
  53. ↑ Chad Livengood, Detroit News Lansing Bureau (7 April 2015). "Snyder victory mastermind joins Rep. Paul's White House campaign". Detroit News.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 "Kentucky Republicans line up behind Paul". TheHill.
  55. ↑ Austin Petersen. "Bob Barr Says He'd Choose Rand Paul over Rick Perry in 2016". The Libertarian Republic.
  56. ↑ "Florida GOP begins to choose sides in Bush v. Rubio". Florida Today.
  57. ↑ Melissa Clyne (10 April 2015). "NC Rep. Walter Jones Endorses Sen. Rand Paul for 2016 Win". Newsmax.
  58. ↑ "KMN Talks with Congressman Raul Labrador". Kuna Melba News.
  59. ↑ "Ron Paul Will Attend Rand's Presidential Campaign Launch". Bloomberg.
  60. ↑ "The Tim Scott Primary". National Journal.
  61. ↑ "J.C. Watts Endorses Rand Paul: He Talks About Things That Would Get Most Conservatives Voted Off The Island". Real Clear Politics.
  62. ↑ "Rand Paul's big campaign announcement". Business Insider. 7 April 2015.
  63. ↑ "James Pindell on Twitter". Twitter.
  64. ↑ "Rand Paul launches S.C. primary race Thursday". The Herald.
  65. ↑ "Photo: New Hampshire state Sen. Andy Sanborn introduces Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., at rally at the Milford town hall - @steinhauserNH1". Breaking News.
  66. ↑ "Rand Paul supporters rally in Milford Town Hall". Nashua Telegraph.
  67. ↑ "Voter Voices: Republicans And Democrats Weigh In On Start Of Unofficial Primary | New Hampshire Public Radio". Nhpr.org. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  68. ↑ J. Wilson. "Guess Who the Judge Wants to See Elected President in 2016". A Libertarian Future.
  69. ↑ "Mr. Libertarian Walter Block Endorses Rand Paul for President". Blog.panampost.com. 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  70. ↑ "BRUCE FEIN: Only Rand Paul can save us". Washingtontimes.com. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  71. ↑ "Is This Former Democrat Rand Paul's OTHER Secret Weapon?". YouTube.com. 2015-04-10. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  72. ↑ "Dan Bilzerian - Mobile Uploads". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  73. ↑ "Columns > Rand Paul: Pros And Cons". Chuck Baldwin Live.
  74. ↑ "S.E. Cupp explains why Republicans need Rand Paul". Rare.
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  76. ↑ "MY PRO-CONSTITUTION CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT". Wnd.com. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
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  83. ↑ "Vince Vaughn Crashes Young Americans for Liberty Convention". Blog.panampost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
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External links