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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul took his first step toward running for president with state party leaders on Saturday endorsing his plan for a presidential caucus in 2016.

The move clears the way for Paul to run for president and for re-election to his Senate seat without breaking a state law that bans candidates from appearing on the ballot twice in the same election.

The state GOP's central committee must still sign off on the proposal in August. But, more importantly for Paul, Saturday's vote by the Republican Party of Kentucky's executive committee was an early endorsement of his unusual plan for dual campaigns ahead of a wide open Republican presidential primary.

"I just want to be treated like many other candidates around the country who have not been restricted," Paul told reporters after the vote.

Paul has characterized himself as a "different kind of Republican," and campaigning for two offices at once would certainly set him apart among the Republican field. Of the numerous potential Republican candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is the only one also up for re-election in 2016. Rubio has said he would not run for both offices.

Paul has gone to great lengths to reach out to minority voters, including sponsoring bills that would eliminate sentencing disparities in what he has called a racially biased criminal justice system and endorsing plans to restore the voting rights of some nonviolent convicted felons. But Saturday's vote was so important that Paul missed the events in Selma, Alabama, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights march led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. And he missed an agricultural forum in Iowa, an early caucus state, where many of his Republican rivals spoke.

Saturday's vote was unanimous, but it came after two hours of debate behind closed doors. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan made the motion, but he left quickly after the meeting without taking questions from reporters. Both Paul and state party Chairman Steve Robertson said the party was united. U.S. Reps. Bret Guthrie and Thomas Massie attended the meeting and others, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have indicated their support.

"I do think it's important that we kind of move forward with this. And the anxiety is there. I mean, I think about that, too," Guthrie said. "I just think it's worth it. I think it's worth the work."

The state GOP has established a committee to study the issue and have a report ready by the Aug. 22 central committee meeting.

Secretary of State Alison Grimes, Kentucky's chief elections official and a potential Democratic candidate for the Senate, said the caucus proposed by Paul "could create potential chaos in our electoral process and severely undermine the integrity of the Commonwealth's elections."

Original post:
Kentucky GOP clears path for Rand Paul to run for Senate, presidency at same time

Sen. Rand Paul was the top choice of conservatives in a straw poll for potential Republican presidential contenders at an annual conservative conference near Washington.

The Kentucky Republican has been a repeat favorite among the GOP's right flank, and won the Conservative Political Action Conference poll for the third consecutive year.

Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker tallied a close second, while the remaining dozen or so contenders trailed, according to results in the Washington Times, which sponsored the contest.

Paul earned 25.7% of the vote, followed by Walker with 21.4%.

Most of the Republicans who took to the stage at the annual multi-day conference over the river from the capital have not yet officially declared their intentions to run for president in 2016.

But the conservative gathering provides a proving ground for the budding campaigns. The record-breaking crowd topped 11,000, organizers said.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took 11.5%, narrowly besting retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 11.4%.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush acknowledged during his talk that he would be happy if skeptics who view him as more moderate than they prefer would consider him their "second choice." He won 8.3%.

Another Floridian, Sen. Marco Rubio, took 3.7%.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie neared the middle of the tally, with 2.8% -- behind Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina, but ahead of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Originally posted here:
Sen. Rand Paul wins conservative CPAC straw poll - again

Story highlights Rand Paul wants his hat in ring for both president and Senate Kentucky GOP moves toward creating caucus to allow that scenario Democratic state official criticizes move

The plan allows the first-term U.S. senator, who's running for re-election and making a likely bid for president, to get around a Kentucky law that prohibits candidates from appearing on the same ballot twice.

Rand Paul searches for green light on caucus proposal

After Paul met with the party's 54-member executive committee in Bowling Green for a two-hour session, the group voted unanimously to appoint a smaller committee that would decide the rules and regulations of how a caucus would be held.

The final vote would come in August when a larger gathering of the Kentucky GOP is scheduled to meet and hear a more detailed plan from the task force.

"We thank the members of RPK for their unanimous support and look forward to continuing this process," said Paul's top adviser, Doug Stafford, in a statement.

Kentucky law allows the state party to determine the details of its presidential preference vote, but not the primary for other elected offices in the state.

In other words, Paul's name for his Senate re-election bid would still remain on the May 2016 primary ballot, but the presidential vote would likely move up earlier in the year to March.

The senator appeared at the meeting to address some concerns about a caucus, namely the increased cost, as well as the lower voter turnout typically associated with caucuses.

He has pledged to raise money through his donor network to help offset the costs, and proponents of the caucus argue that the significant media attention expected and Kentucky's earlier placement in the nominating calendar would spur just as much turnout.

Excerpt from:
Rand Paul proposal for caucus moves forward

Day two of CPAC
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By: Washington Post

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Day two of CPAC - Video

Why John Bolton Hopes Rand Paul Gets Redemption on Foreign Policy
National security needs to be at the forefront of the 2016 election, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton told The Daily Signal at CPAC.

By: The Daily Signal

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Why John Bolton Hopes Rand Paul Gets Redemption on Foreign Policy - Video