The 2014 midterm elections ended well enough and now the 2016 cycle is upon us.
Perhaps not surprisingly, one rumored hopeful -- Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) -- isn’t wasting any time putting together his campaign team [emphasis mine]:
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday announced the hiring of a campaign manager for his likely 2016 presidential bid, part of an aggressive effort to build a national political team as the race for the White House heats up.The hiring of strategist Chip Englander, who recently guided a gubernatorial candidate to victory in Illinois, marks a clear step forward for the Kentucky Republican as he prepares to transform his cadre of loyalists into a full-scale campaign.
In related news, congressional Republicans are hosting a retreat in Hersey, PA this week to discuss tactics and policy for the new session. Curiously, however, Sen. Paul reportedly won’t be in attendance.
As Politico reports, he has more pressing plans [emphasis mine]:
Jeb Bush is “a Big Government Republican.” Mitt Romney “had his chance.” And Marco Rubio’s recent jabs on foreign policy are “silly” and “childish.”Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is back in insurgent mode, lobbing bombs at his potential Republican presidential rivals and looking to take back a political spotlight that Bush and Romney have been hogging lately. Paul is also heading to New Hampshire and Nevada this week, hoping to strike a fire with voters who want a new voice to carry the GOP’s message to the White House.
Not coincidentally, he also chided Mitt Romney yesterday by suggesting he’s past his prime -- a guy who, quite honestly, is looking increasingly like he’s gearing up for another run:
So that was yesterday. Here’s what he said today (via National Journal):
…In an interview with the New Hampshire Journal on Wednesday, Paul got in a potshot at Mitt Romney, who is angling for a potential third presidential run."When you do the same thing and expect a different result, it's sort of what Einstein said, that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result," Paul said. "A couple of months ago [Romney] said that he'd had his chance and it was time for somebody new. He was probably right when he said that."
Perhaps. Be that as it may, state law stipulates that Paul, who is up for re-election in 2016, cannot simultaneously run for that office and the presidency. The state attorney general, meanwhile, has made it perfectly “clear” that the law isn’t changing, either.
Even so, he may have some wiggle room to do both -- although it won't be easy. We'll see.
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