Rand Paul 2016 presidential campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Rand Paul, the junior United States senator from Kentucky, was announced on April 7, 2015, at an event at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. First elected to the U.S. Senate in the 2010 election, Paul's candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016 had been widely speculated since early 2013.[2]

Rand Paul for President
CampaignU.S. presidential election, 2016
CandidateRand Paul
U.S. Senator from Kentucky
(2011–present)
AffiliationRepublican Party
StatusAnnounced: April 7, 2015
Suspended: February 3, 2016
Key peopleChip Englander (Manager)
Bryan Reed (Deputy Manager)
Doug Wead (Senior Advisor)
Mark Spitznagel (Economic Advisor)
ReceiptsUS$11,519,438 (2015-12-31[1])
SloganDefeat the Washington machine. Unleash the American dream.
ChantStand with Rand!
Website
www.randpaul.com
(archived - December 31, 2015)

Leading up to his formal announcement, Paul delivered several high-profile speeches, which included filibustering the nomination of CIA Director John Brennan, speeches at Berkeley and Howard University, and meeting with community leaders in Ferguson, Missouri and Detroit, Michigan, with Paul stating that the meetings and speeches help reach his goal of broadening the Republican Party's appeal with non-traditional constituencies.

Paul suspended his campaign on February 3, 2016.

Background

edit

Pre-campaign speculation

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

Rand Paul first acknowledged a possible 2016 presidential candidacy in January 2013.[2] On February 13, 2013, Paul delivered the Tea Party response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address,[3] prompting some pundits to consider him a potential candidate in the upcoming presidential election.[4] 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.[5] Following his filibuster, Paul spoke at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C.,[6] where he won the presidential straw poll with 25% of the votes cast.[7] Paul again spoke at CPAC in National Harbor, Maryland on March 7, 2014.[8][9] The day after his speech, he won the presidential straw poll for the second year in a row with 31% of the votes cast, nearly triple the percentage of runner-up U.S. Senator Ted Cruz with 11%.[10][11]

In April 2014, Paul spoke at the GOP Freedom Summit, an event organized by Americans for Prosperity and Citizens United,[12] which was also attended by several other potential presidential candidates.[13] 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.[14][15][16]

Voter outreach efforts

edit

In an October 2014 speech in Detroit, Paul stated, "The Republican Party brand sucks, and so people don't want to be a Republican, and for 80 years, African-Americans have had nothing to do with Republicans." He stated that reshaping the Republican Party's brand would be crucial to the party's success. Leading up to his decision about running for president, Paul attempted to broaden the appeal of the Republican party.[17] He visited several historically black colleges, including Howard University, Bowie State University, and Simmons College.[18] In addition, he visited Ferguson, Missouri, and also spoke at the Detroit Economic Club.[18][19] 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 affects 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.[18] Paul received praise for his efforts from Lorraine Miller, acting president of the NAACP,[20] 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."[21] Paul's outreach to minority communities seemed to be working, as polls showed him receiving up to 29% of the African-American vote in his home state. By contrast, Republican presidential nominee John McCain received 4% of the African-American vote in 2008, and nominee Mitt Romney received 6% in 2012.[22]

Dual candidacy issues

edit

Kentucky law does not allow presidential (or vice-presidential) nominees to run for office in the state, meaning Paul could not concurrently run for president and reelection to the Senate. However, Paul filed to run for re-election to his Senate seat in April 2011.[23][24] 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.[25][26][27] During the 2014 legislative elections, Paul attempted to shift the power in the House to the Republicans, who were more likely to pass the bill. Paul spent his own campaign money in the elections, helping Republican candidates for the state house. Even if Democratic governor Steve Beshear were to veto the legislation, that veto can be overridden with a simple majority.[28][29] However, the Democrats retained their 54–46 majority in the state house.[30][31][32] Paul in turn gave his support to the idea that the Kentucky Republican Party could decide to hold a caucus in March separately from the regular primary in May, allowing for the party to have more time to pick a new senatorial candidate should Paul clinch the Republican presidential nomination, which the party agreed to do at a meeting in March 2015.[33][34]

2014 midterm elections

edit

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.[35] Paul facilitated these endorsements through his political action committee known as Rand PAC, which was able to provide funds for candidates that Paul had endorsed, as well as provide volunteer support, and air television and radio commercials in support of certain candidates.[36] Because of Paul's appeal to younger voters and "grassroots energy," a majority of Republican campaign operatives, according to Politico, selected Paul as their top choice as a campaign surrogate.[37] After the election, 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 former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.[38]

Out of the nearly 20 endorsements that Paul offered in the 2014 midterm election, only three candidates were unsuccessful in their campaigns for office.[35] In contrast, more than half of Clinton's endorsements were unsuccessful,[35] but many political analysts regarded the 2014 midterm elections as a wave election year for Republicans.[39][40]

Campaign structure

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

Near the end of 2014, Paul made moves towards a presidential run, including hiring staff in several states, setting up offices, and hiring a campaign manager. In January 2015, he 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.[41] Longtime Paul advisor Doug Stafford will stay on as a senior political advisor to the Paul campaign.[41] Campaign operations also began 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.[41] 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.[42]

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.[43] Polling throughout 2014, both nationally and in statewide contests, had consistently placed Paul among the top tier of candidates potentially seeking the Republican Party's nomination in the 2016 presidential election.[44]

Several political analysts pointed to the established network of supporters that his father, Ron Paul, had garnered through his own attempts at running for President of the United States in the 2008 and 2012 elections.[45] At the same time, other analysts stated that Ron Paul may have been more of a liability, due to his consistent opposition to foreign involvement, which may not have appealed to mainstream Republican voters.[46] A Super PAC was formed by Ron Paul's 2012 campaign manager John Tate, known as America's Liberty PAC, which stated that it is the only Super PAC officially endorsed by Paul.[47] The group also boasted several staff members from Campaign for Liberty, a group founded in 2008 following the Ron Paul's first unsuccessful attempt at receiving the Republican Party's nomination for president.[47] A second SuperPAC was formed by former FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe and Young Americans for Liberty president Jeff Frazee.[48]

Paul spoke at CPAC 2015 and received a plurality of votes in the straw poll for his third year in a row, with 26%.[49] 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.[50] 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.[51]

Pre-primary campaign developments

edit

Going into the summer, Paul hosted several town halls, meet and greets, and rallies in early states and other important states for fundraising, and voter contacts.[52] On May 11, Paul returned to New Hampshire and held a town hall meeting in Londonderry, along with several dozen lawmakers who endorsed his campaign,[53] and continued his campaign swing to southeastern Iowa, concluding with a "cattle call" style Lincoln dinner hosted by the Republican Party of Iowa in Des Moines.[54] Paul also spoke outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and participated in a discussion at the National Constitution Center before returning to Washington, D.C., in order to tend to business in the United States Senate.[55]

Filibuster in the U.S. Senate

edit

The week before Memorial Day, he announced his intention to block any attempt at renewing the Patriot Act, in which certain provisions regarding warrantless surveillance of Americans were set to expire at the end of the month.[55] In order to accomplish this, Paul began to filibuster the legislation on May 20, 2015, and spoke for approximately 10+12 hours.[56] His campaign utilized social media in order to promote the Senator's campaign, using the hashtag "Stand With Rand," which was introduced during Paul's previous filibuster.[57] Following his filibuster, the Senate attempted to move forward with the legislation, holding a series of votes shortly after midnight on the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend, which failed to get the 3/5 supermajority needed to invoke cloture.[58][59] Paul objected to all further attempts to extend the Patriot Act's provisions which had been put forth by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (requiring unanimous consent), causing them to delay debate of the legislation until the following week.[60]

Campaign

edit

Announcement of candidacy

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

Paul officially announced his presidential candidacy for the Republican party on April 7, 2015, at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky.[61] 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.[61] At the conclusion of his speech, Paul stated, "To rescue a great country now adrift, join me as together we seek a new vision for America. Today I am announcing, with God's help and with liberty lovers everywhere, that I am putting myself forward as a candidate for President of the United States."[62] Within a day of his announcement, Paul raised $1 million, slightly outpacing fellow Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.[63] However, Paul also faced a $1 million ad campaign against him, criticizing his foreign policy views.[64] 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.[65]

Beginning of campaign

edit

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.[66] Each event also featured local testimonials and endorsements of Paul's candidacy, including several state legislators, and members of Congress.[67] 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.[68]

A week after his announcement, Paul spoke at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit in Nashua, New Hampshire, along with more than a dozen other announced and potential Republican candidates.[69] In his speech, Paul highlighted the large amount of political baggage of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who announced her own candidacy only a few days after Paul. Paul has been a leading critic of Clinton, which has included her time as Secretary of State and her handling of the situation in Benghazi, as well as more recent controversies involving her email server, and foreign contributions to the Clinton Foundation.[69]

Shift in strategy

edit
 
Senator Paul speaking at an event hosted by the Iowa Republican Party in October 2015.

Several media outlets noted that Paul's campaign began relatively quietly. Whereas candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders were regularly appearing in the news, CNN noted Paul "has been working the campaign trail quietly, taking a deliberate approach to national media and choosing his battles carefully." This was seen as unusual, since Paul was known for being vocal and strategically standing out. In an interview with CNN, Doug Stafford, one of Paul's strategists, commented "Y'all may be too busy covering the newest thing each week to have noticed, but we are running hard, running strong, and running all over the country... It's a marathon, not a sprint."[70][71] In June 2015, facing declining poll numbers, Paul's campaign appeared to shift strategies, with Paul attempting to appeal more to the Republican Party's base. Nick Gillespie, the editor of Reason.com, a libertarian-leaning news service, commented that Paul appeared to do much better when he took more libertarian positions, commenting, "All of the moments where he stands out – where he captures not just the political imagination, but the public American imagination – are the most libertarian."[72]

Paul's marketing also varied from that of other candidates. In October 2015, Paul broadcast an entire day of campaigning, during which he read and answered questions, one of which asking if he was still running for president. In response, Paul said, "I don't know, I wouldn't be doing this dumbass livestreaming if I weren't" before confirming he was and asking if the footage could not be edited. The line led to the creation of a satirical T-shirt by the Paul campaign.[73]

Debate performances

edit

At the Fox News Cleveland debate, in response to Chris Christie opposing his stance on unwarranted wiretapping which the governor was in favor of, Paul mentioned his previous attempts at ending searches without warrants of Americans' records. Christie charged Paul with putting his country at risk while "cutting speeches on the floor of the Senate, then putting them on the Internet within half an hour to raise money" for his campaign. Reaction to the exchange was mixed. Some commentators believed Christie had succeeded in defending himself, though Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic viewed Paul as having won based on substance alone.[74]

Paul indicated in December 2015 that he would not participate in any undercard debate should he not qualify for the main stage, reasoning that his campaign was "first-tier" and would be demoted in participating in a "second-tier debate."[75][76] Though Paul did not meet the qualifications for that month's CNN debate, entailing that a candidate poll at least at 3.5% nationally or 4% in either Iowa or New Hampshire, a Fox News poll released on December 13 had Paul with 5% of support in the Iowa Republican presidential caucus, allowing his inclusion.[77][78] Paul announced on January 11 that he would not participate in that month's South Carolina debate after being relegated to the undercard one.[79] Though not present for the debate, Paul's name was briefly shouted by protestors.[80]

Fundraising

edit

Beginning of campaign

edit

On the first day of his campaign, Paul raised over $1 million.[81] At the launch of his candidacy, Paul's campaign unveiled his official online campaign store, which caught the attention of many political media analysts with several humorously themed items, in addition to the traditional campaign gear. Some of the items included Rand Paul themed Beats headphone skins, Ray-Ban sunglasses, as well as a broken email hard drive promoted as "Hillary's Hard Drive," in reference to the scandal involving her use of a personal email address during her time as secretary of state.[82][83] All of the items were intended as fundraisers for his campaign.[82] Doug Stafford, one of Paul's political staffers, said he thought Paul would need to raise $50 million by March 2016 in order to remain viable as a candidate, which he felt was possible.[81]

According to online fundraising data from the first several weeks of Paul's campaign, a majority of donations came from small dollar contributions, as well as from rural cities and towns.[84] More than a quarter of online donors listed addresses in communities with populations of less than 10,000. The average donation hovered around $60 during the initial stages of the campaign.[84]

Early campaign

edit

Following his initial announcement, Paul's campaign had lackluster fundraising. For the quarter ending on June 30, 2015, Paul's campaign reported receiving $7 million, far behind that of the $14 million raised by Ted Cruz, $12 million for Marco Rubio and $11 million for Jeb Bush. When adding fundraising by Super PACs and other outside groups, Bush's total was $114 million, while Cruz had $52 million and Rubio had $44 million, while the major Super PACs supporting Paul raised over $5.7 million.[72][85]

On June 30, 2015, Paul held the first ever major-party fundraiser with the marijuana industry, which he did at the National Cannabis Industry Association's business summit in Denver, Colorado. The 2016 election is the first to take place following the legalization of recreational marijuana use. At the time of the fundraiser, marijuana was legal in three states.[86][87]

Polling

edit

In addition to his three consecutive wins in the CPAC straw polls from 2013 to 2015, Paul has also performed well in a handful of early straw polls as well as some statewide polls. In March 2015, Paul came in second in the straw poll held by Georgia's Association of Republican County Chairmen, only behind Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.[88]

One statewide poll where Paul consistently performed well was in the crucial swing state of Colorado. In numerous polls from Quinnipiac University and Public Policy Polling, Paul was the one Republican who consistently led Hillary Clinton in Colorado, with such poll results dating back to late 2013. In four consecutive polls from early 2014 to mid-2014, he was the only Republican who led Clinton in the state.[89][90][91][92] Paul also performed well, even against Clinton, in other states such as Pennsylvania,[93][94] Ohio,[93][95] and Iowa.[96]

By the latter part of 2015, Paul's support had waned, with him coming in 7th place at 4% in CNN poll released in September[97] and dropping further in November to 2% in a KBUR/Monmouth poll.[98]

Iowa caucus and campaign suspension

edit
 
Paul, and his wife Kelley, speaking at his presidential campaign's final campaign event on the night of the Iowa caucus.

After finishing fifth place in the Iowa Caucus with 4.5% of the vote and inadequate funding, Paul dropped out of the race on February 3, 2016, to focus on his re-election to the Senate.[99] On March 1, Paul posted on Twitter that he would un-suspend his campaign if the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper endorsed him and declared a redo of the New Hampshire primary.[100]

Political positions

edit

The policy positions taken by Paul in the lead-up to 2016 included NSA reform, cooperation with Iran, reducing the budget deficit and decriminalizing marijuana.[101]

Endorsements

edit
Rand Paul endorsements
U.S. Senators (current)
U.S. Representatives (current and former)
International political figures
Republican National Committee members (former)
Republican Liberty Caucus[118] members (former)
Statewide officials (former)
State legislators
Businesspeople
Celebrities, commentators, and activists

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Candidate (P40003576) Summary Reports – 2016 Cycle". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Weinger, Mackenzie (January 28, 2013). "Rand Paul: GOP must 'evolve and adapt'". Politico. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  3. ^ "Tea party State of the Union 2013 rebuttal: Rand Paul response (full text)". Politico. February 13, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ Josh Voorhees (March 7, 2013). "Rand Paul Ends Epic Mr. Smith-Style Filibuster After More Than 12 Hours". Slate. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  6. ^ Romano, Lois (March 14, 2013). "CPAC 2013: Marco Rubio, Rand Paul fight for the future of the GOP". Politico. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  7. ^ Montanaro, Domenico (March 16, 2013). "Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll; Rubio close second". NBC News. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  8. ^ McLaughlin, Seth (March 7, 2014). "Rand Paul urges conservatives to fight with him for liberty". Washington Times. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  9. ^ "Rand Paul Showed Why The Conservative Base Loves Him Today". Business Insider. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  10. ^ Lowery, Wesley (March 8, 2014). "2014 CPAC: Rand Paul wins second consecutive CPAC straw poll". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "Rand Paul still on top, and other takeaways from CPAC 2014". CBS News. March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  12. ^ "Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are the big draws at the Freedom Summit". Washington Post.
  13. ^ "Freedom Summit draws GOP hopefuls to N.H." Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  14. ^ "Obamacare' under attack as conservatives eye 2016". Associated Press. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  15. ^ "Sen. Rand Paul Says Jeb Bush Was Wrong To Defend Undocumented Immigrants". Fox News. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  16. ^ "Rand Paul Says Conservatives Need a Bold Message". Associated Press. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  17. ^ Kaplan, Rebecca (2014-10-30). "Rand Paul: The GOP brand "sucks"". CBS. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  18. ^ a b c Abdullah, Halimah (2014-03-20). "Rand Paul: Will his star continue to rise?". CNN. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  19. ^ Williams, Vanessa (2015-04-07). "Rand Paul's criminal justice challenge – and how he might deal with it". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  20. ^ Lewis, Matt (2014-04-22). "NAACP head praises Rand Paul". The Week. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  21. ^ Kim, Seung Min (2014-07-08). "Rand Paul, Cory Booker team up for justice". Politico. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  22. ^ Naham, Matt (2014-05-19). "Rand Paul is getting more black support than almost any other Republican". Rare. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
  23. ^ Jennifer Epstein (April 19, 2011). "Rand Paul files for reelection race five years away". Politico.
  24. ^ Manu Raju (7 May 2013). "Rand Paul, Marco Rubio face 2016 bind". Politico.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ Youngman, Sam (March 18, 2014). "Kentucky Senate passes bill to let Rand Paul run for re-election and president in 2016". www.kentucky.com. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  27. ^ Silverleib, Alan (April 17, 2014). "Dead for now: Kentucky bill allowing twin Paul 2016 runs". www.cnn.com. CNN. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  28. ^ "The Obscure Kentucky Contests That Could Alter Rand Paul's 2016 Plans". National Journal. August 14, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  29. ^ "Will Rand Paul Have to Risk His Senate Seat for the Presidency?". Reason.com. September 2, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  30. ^ "Democrats maintain control of Kentucky House of Representatives". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  31. ^ "Democrats hold Kentucky House, a minor blow to Rand Paul's presidential hopes". The Washington Post. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  32. ^ "Kentucky looks at primary change that would help Rand Paul". Politico. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ Gerth, Joseph (March 7, 2015). "Kentucky GOP grants preliminary caucus OK to Paul". USA Today. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  35. ^ a b c Wollner, Adam (November 5, 2014). "How Did 2016 Hopefuls Do Tuesday Night? Here's Your Scorecard". National Journal. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  36. ^ Johnson, Eliana (2014-09-26). "Rand in Demand". National Review. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  37. ^ Titus, Elizabeth (2014-05-18). "Rand Paul tops 2014 campaigns' wish list". Politico. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  38. ^ Sherfinski, David (November 7, 2014). "Rand Paul: 'Clinton Democrats' became 'Hillary's losers' during election landslide". Washington Times. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  39. ^ Blake, Aaron (2014-11-04). "Yes, this was a GOP wave election". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  40. ^ Montanaro, Domenico (2014-11-05). "Breaking down the 2014 Republican wave". PBS Newshour. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  41. ^ a b c Costa, Robert (January 13, 2015). "Rand Paul announces campaign manager for likely 2016 campaign". Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  42. ^ Rubin, Jennifer (January 9, 2015). "Is Rand Paul going to run?". Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  43. ^ Halperin, Mark (January 30, 2015). "Mark Halperin: Rand Paul Is Now Front-Runner in N.H." Bloomberg. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  44. ^ Cillizza, Chris (2015-04-07). "How Rand Paul can win". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  45. ^ Gibson, Ginger (2015-04-07). "Election 2016: Rand Paul Inherits Father Ron Paul's Political Network". International Business Times. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  46. ^ Ramsey, Nick (2014-08-09). "Will Ron Paul be a problem for Rand Paul in 2016?". MSNBC. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  47. ^ a b Rubin, Jennifer (2014-04-24). "Rand and Ron Paul's family business". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  48. ^ Weigel, David (2015-07-29). "In Iowa, Rand Paul's unofficial army plans to win the summer". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  49. ^ "Rand Paul wins 2015 CPAC straw poll". Fox News. February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  50. ^ Topaz, Jonathan (2015-03-23). "Rand Paul, reacting to Ted Cruz, talks 'winnability'". Politico. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  51. ^ "Rand Paul to kick off 2016 bid April 7 with ambitious five-state tour". The Washington Times.
  52. ^ Nowicki, Dan (2015-05-08). "Rand Paul cheers NSA ruling, swipes at McCain in Arizona visit". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  53. ^ Carlson, Brady (2015-05-11). "Rand Paul Kicks Off Busy Week Of New Hampshire Presidential Politics". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  54. ^ "Paul coming to Iowa on Saturday". The Iowa Statesman. 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  55. ^ a b Sarlin, Benjy (2015-05-18). "Rand Paul highlights GOP gulf on civil liberties in Philadelphia". MSNBC. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  56. ^ Diamond, Jeremy (2015-05-21). "Rand Paul wraps 10-hour 'filibuster' over NSA surveillance program". CNN. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  57. ^ Parker, Ashley (2015-05-20). "Taking Stand Against Spying, Rand Paul Stages Senate 'Filibuster'". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  58. ^ "U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote". US Senate. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  59. ^ "U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote". US Senate. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  60. ^ Min Kim, Seung (2015-05-23). "PATRIOT Act on life support after Rand Paul stymies renewal efforts". Politico. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  61. ^ a b c Camia, Catalina (April 7, 2015). "Rand Paul announces presidential run". USA Today. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  62. ^ "Sen. Rand Paul Announces on Website He Is 'Running for President'". Fox News. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
  63. ^ Ballhaus, Rebecca (April 8, 2015). "Rand Paul Sprints to $1 Million Fundraising Mark". Wall Street Journal.
  64. ^ Cheney, Kyle (April 4, 2015). "Hawks will hit Rand Paul in $1 million TV blitz". Politico. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  65. ^ Killough, Ashley (2015-04-10). "Rand Paul hits bumps in first week of campaign". CNN. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
  66. ^ Harper, Jennifer (2015-04-05). "Inside the Beltway: Step aside: Rand Paul goes presidential". Washington Times. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  67. ^ Alberta, Tim (2015-04-05). "Rand Paul Taps House GOP's Troublemakers to Boost 2016 Campaign". National Journal. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  68. ^ Boedecker, Hal (2015-04-10). "Rand Paul, Mitt Romney, Bob Menendez: Sunday guests". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  69. ^ a b Martin, Jonathan (2015-04-18). "First in the Nation Forum: Rand Paul". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  70. ^ Moody, Chris (July 21, 2015). "Where is Rand Paul?". CNN. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  71. ^ Weigel, David (June 8, 2015). "Meet the Voters Who Can't Decide Between Rand Paul or Bernie Sanders". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  72. ^ a b Mascaro, Lisa (July 17, 2015). "After sagging in fundraising, Rand Paul 2.0 reboots campaign". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  73. ^ Kopan, Tal (October 14, 2015). "Rand Paul: 'Dumbass' livestream shows I'm still in race". CNN.
  74. ^ "Rand Paul and Chris Christie Clash on NSA Spying". The Atlantic. August 7, 2015.
  75. ^ "Rand Paul: 'I won't participate in any kind of second-tier debate'". The Washington Times. December 24, 2015.
  76. ^ McCaskill, Noland D. (December 23, 2015). "Rand Paul: I won't do an undercard debate". Politico.
  77. ^ Kaplan, Rebecca (December 14, 2015). "How Rand Paul barely made it into Tuesday's main debate". CBS News.
  78. ^ "Rand Paul remains on main debate stage". Politico. December 13, 2015.
  79. ^ "First on CNN: Rand Paul to Fox Business: I'm skipping your debate". CNN. January 11, 2016.
  80. ^ "'We want Rand' chant erupts at debate". The Hill. January 14, 2016. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016.
  81. ^ a b Jesse Byrnes (April 8, 2015). "Paul raises $1M after launch". TheHill.com. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  82. ^ a b Schwarz, Hunter (2015-04-07). "9 amazing things you can buy at Rand Paul's online store – including, for some reason, flip-flops". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  83. ^ Sottek, T.C. (2015-04-12). "Rand Paul, class clown, is now selling novelty Hillary Clinton hard drives". The Verge. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  84. ^ a b Willis, Derek (2015-05-05). "Rand Paul's Donations Show His Small-Town Appeal". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  85. ^ "Rand Paul". Open Secrets. October 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  86. ^ Zezima, Katie (July 1, 2015). "Rand Paul raises money with the marijuana industry". Washington Post. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  87. ^ Wyatt, Kristen (June 30, 2015). "Rand Paul's Denver fundraiser the 1st major-party event with new, legal marijuana business". FOX Business. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  88. ^ "Walker wins overwhelmingly in statewide straw poll". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  89. ^ "Christie Leads Clinton In Colorado In 2016 Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama Hits The Rocks In The Rockies". Quinnipiac University. November 20, 2013.
  90. ^ "Despite Christie Woes, Clinton Struggles In Colorado, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Udall Locked In Tight Race For Reelection". Quinnipiac University. February 6, 2014.
  91. ^ "Economy, Healthcare Hurt Udall In Colorado Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Sen. Rand Paul Leads 2016 Presidential Packt". Quinnipiac University. April 24, 2014. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  92. ^ "Colorado Survey Results" (PDF). Publicpolicypolling.com. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  93. ^ a b "Clinton, Rubio Close In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds" (PDF). Quinnipiac University. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  94. ^ "Clinton Down But Still Up In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds". Quinnipiac University. March 31, 2015.
  95. ^ "Unannounced Kasich Leads GOP Field on Home Turf" (PDF). Public Policy Polling.com. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  96. ^ "Paul Blooms As Clinton Wilts In Colorado, Iowa, Virginia, Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds". Quinnipiac University. April 9, 2015.
  97. ^ "Poll: Fiorina rockets to No. 2 behind Trump in GOP field". CNN. September 20, 2015.
  98. ^ Kamisar, Ben (November 2, 2015). "Jindal edges ahead of Bush in Iowa poll". The Hill.
  99. ^ Caldwell, Leigh Ann (February 3, 2016). "Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul Suspends Republican Presidential Campaign". NBCNews.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  100. ^ Savransky, Rebecca (March 1, 2016). "Rand Paul pledges to 'un-suspend' campaign if NH paper endorses him". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  101. ^ "Rand Paul's policy views set him apart from Republican field". Politico. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  102. ^ Manu Raju; Lauren French (1 April 2015). "Mitch McConnell-Rand Paul alliance has its limits". Politico.
  103. ^ "Florida GOP begins to choose sides in Bush v. Rubio". Florida Today.
  104. ^ "KMN Talks with Congressman Raul Labrador". Kuna Melba News.
  105. ^ "Joe Walsh". Twitter.
  106. ^ Chad Livengood, Detroit News Lansing Bureau (7 April 2015). "Snyder victory mastermind joins Rep. Paul's White House campaign". Detroit News.
  107. ^ "How Sen. Rand Paul's visit to West Michigan strengthens bond with Rep. Justin Amash". MLive.com. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  108. ^ "Rand Paul for President today announces U.S. Congressman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) as one of its Western States Co-Chairman". RandPaul.com.
  109. ^ a b c "Kentucky Republicans line up behind Paul". The Hill. 2015-04-06.
  110. ^ Manu Raju and Lauren French (2015-04-01). "Mitch McConnell-Rand Paul alliance has its limits: The presidential plans of GOP senators are testing the loyalties of their home-state brethren". Politico.
  111. ^ David Weigel (21 September 2015). "Rep. Mick Mulvaney endorses Rand Paul for president". The Washington Post.
  112. ^ Petersen, Austin (2015-08-14). "Ron Paul enthusiastically endorses son Rand Paul for President". The Libertarian Republic.
  113. ^ "Nigel Farage: the American Rand Paul is my soulmate from the Tea Party". The Telegraph. London. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  114. ^ "Hillary Clinton er stortingspolitikernes presidentfavoritt i USA". Aftenposten. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  115. ^ "Iowa GOP chair leaves for Rand Paul's PAC". March 10, 2014.
  116. ^ Hook, Janet (January 29, 2015). "Rand Paul Wins Support in Cruz, Perry Backyard". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  117. ^ a b "Rand Paul for President today announced the addition of former State Representative Tom McMillin and former Republican National committee member Chuck Yob as co-chairmen of the Michigan Grassroots Leadership Team". Rand Paul For President.
  118. ^ "Youth for Rand Paul – Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Rand Paul". Youthforrandpaul.com. 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  119. ^ "Youth for Rand Paul – Rand Paul Leads Hillary by 3% in Swing-State Ohio". Youthforrandpaul.com. 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  120. ^ J. Wilson. "Guess Who the Judge Wants to See Elected President in 2016". A Libertarian Future.
  121. ^ a b "Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul announce Colorado campaign leaders". The Denver Post. July 1, 2015.
  122. ^ Mark Pazniokas (2015-06-05). "Rubio quotes JFK at Connecticut GOP's Bush dinner".
  123. ^ Costa, Robert (2015-02-08). "In Iowa, Republican field wide open as moderates stake their caucus claims". The Washington Post.
  124. ^ a b c d e "Caucus State Leaders Endorse Rand Paul for President Including Minnesota State Senator Branden Petersen". Blog.4president.org. October 1, 2015.
  125. ^ "Rand Paul's big campaign announcement". Business Insider. 7 April 2015.
  126. ^ a b c d "Rand Paul for President Receives Vermont, Maine, & New Hampshire Endorsements on 3-day New England Tour". Blog.4president.org. September 2, 2015.
  127. ^ "Rand Paul talks to packed house in DeWitt". Lansing State Journal. July 11, 2015.
  128. ^ "Photo: New Hampshire state Sen. Andy Sanborn introduces Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., at rally at the Milford town hall – @steinhauserNH1". Breaking News.
  129. ^ a b c Kathleen Ronayne (2015-05-11). "Paul announces support from New Hampshire representatives". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  130. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Rand Paul plans filibuster fight over Patriot Act". 2015-05-11.
  131. ^ a b c d e f g "Rand Paul picks up another 25 endorsements". New Hampshire Union Leader. 2015-05-15. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  132. ^ "Spec Bowers". Ballotpedia.
  133. ^ "New Hampshire Stands with Rand". RandPaul.com.
  134. ^ a b c d "Granite Status". New Hampshire Union Leader.
  135. ^ "Dan Dwyer Announces Run For State Senate". Merrimack, New Hampshire Patch. 12 March 2012.
  136. ^ a b "New Hampshire Primary Source: Rand Paul rolls out 50 supporters; many backed his Dad". 2015-06-25.
  137. ^ "Bruce MacMahon". ballotpedia.org.
  138. ^ "Robert Malone". ballotpedia.org.
  139. ^ "Former Goffstown rep gets nod as state GOP vice chairman". New Hampshire Union Leader.
  140. ^ "Meet the town council candidates". Merrimack Journal. June 22, 2006. p. 9. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  141. ^ "Rand Paul hires more key NH staff". UnionLeader.com.
  142. ^ "Norman Tregenza". ballotpedia.org.
  143. ^ "Mark Warden". ballotpedia.org.
  144. ^ a b "Rand Paul for President Announces New Hampshire Endorsements". Blog.4president.org. October 22, 2015.
  145. ^ "Rand Paul for President Reaches 375 Endorsements in New Hampshire". Blog.4president.org. November 20, 2015.
  146. ^ a b "Rand Paul for President Announces 50 More Endorsements in South Carolina". Blog.4president.org. November 24, 2015.
  147. ^ "Rand Paul launches S.C. primary race Thursday". The Herald.
  148. ^ "Rand Paul for President Announces South Carolina Grassroots Leadership Team". Blog.4president.org. September 18, 2015.
  149. ^ "Rand Paul Keeping an Eye on Texas". The Texas Tribune. 2015-04-06.
  150. ^ "Washington State Representative Cary Condotta Endorses Rand Paul for President". Blog.4president.org. September 28, 2015.
  151. ^ "Michael Ilhe, twitter status". 2015-04-08.
  152. ^ a b "Paul to campaign for president in Wyoming". August 27, 2015.
  153. ^ "Mr. Libertarian Walter Block Endorses Rand Paul for President". Blog.panampost.com. 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  154. ^ "Rand Paul For President Announces Chief Technology Officer & Tech Advisory Council". 2016 Presidential Campaign Blog.
  155. ^ "Rand Paul super PACs raise $4.6 million". politico.com. 31 January 2016.
  156. ^ "Ep 71: Media's "Rand Paul Can't Win" Nonsense". YouTube. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  157. ^ James Hohmann & Elise Viebeck (June 19, 2015)."The Daily 202: Charleston reminds "Yes we can" Obama of his limited power". The Washington Post. Power Players in the News. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  158. ^ "Hedge fund giant joins Rand Paul campaign as economic adviser". Washington Examiner. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  159. ^ Tom Hamburger (24 July 2015). "Rand Paul super PAC brings in less money than Bobby Jindal's or Carly Fiorina's". The Washington Post.
  160. ^ Chuck Baldwin (May 7, 2015). "Here Is Who I Am".
  161. ^ Chuck Baldwin (July 18, 2014). "Globalist Republicans pounce on Rand Paul: The CFR Has Controlled Both Major Parties In Washington, D.C., For Decades".
  162. ^ Chuck Baldwin (July 2, 2015). "The SCOTUS Gay Marriage Decision".
  163. ^ "Chris Barron". Twitter.
  164. ^ "GOP Presidential Hopeful Sen. Rand Paul Visits Boise". Boise Weekly.
  165. ^ "Politico Overstates His Dropping Out, Insists Rand Paul-Supporting SuperPAC Chief Edward Crane". Reason.com. 29 September 2015.
  166. ^ Davis, Zuri. "Korn singer says the "f** candidates, they all suck" ... except for this one". Rare.
  167. ^ Bruce Fein. "Only Rand Paul can save us". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  168. ^ "Anarchast Ep. 231 David Friedman: The Machinery of Freedom!". YouTube. July 28, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2019. Starting at 17:24. "I've donated some money to Rand Paul and I will donate money to the Libertarian candidate if it's the same one as last time since he's a libertarian and I like him...Rand Paul strikes me as the best of the Republican candidates who has any significant chance of getting nominated and so, you know, hope he gets nominated and hope he wins but I don't think the odds are all that high either."
  169. ^ "MMA Legend Don Frye endorses Rand Paul for President, says Ben Carson for VP". Newscentral.exsees.com. 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  170. ^ Nuzzi, Olivia (8 October 2015). "Alex Jones Endorses Rand Paul: 'America Needs Real Change'". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  171. ^ "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com.
  172. ^ Tau, Byron (2015-06-18). "FreedomWorks's Matt Kibbe Leaving for Super PAC Backing Rand Paul". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
  173. ^ "Belle Knox news: Duke porn star reveals her plans for the future, she's passionate about 'libertarian issues'". Enstarz. February 2015.
  174. ^ "Anti-Collectivism in a Collectivist Political Race". The Virginia Conservative.
  175. ^ "Philip Labonte – Overall I think I still Rand Paul is the..." Facebook. 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  176. ^ "Endorsements for Rand Paul". RandPaul.com.
  177. ^ "Rand Paul, The GOP, And The Young". The Dish. 10 March 2014.
  178. ^ "UFC superstar Chael Sonnen endorses Rand Paul 2016". Dailypaul.com. February 5, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  179. ^ Breslin, Susannah. "Porn Stars Endorse Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Marco Rubio for President in 2016". forbes.com.
  180. ^ "John Stossel: I Hope Rand Paul Is The 2016 Nominee". YouTube. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  181. ^ "Vince Vaughn Crashes Young Americans for Liberty Convention". Blog.panampost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  182. ^ "Why Rand Paul can beat Hillary Clinton". Doug Wead The Blog. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  183. ^ "Presidential race 2016: Rand Paul". AL.com. 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
edit