McConnell on Rand Paul's 2016 dilemma
Rand Paul can expect Mitch McConnell to have his back if he runs for president but the GOP Senate minority leader predicted it would be a tough task for his junior colleague from Kentucky to run for both the Senate and the White House at the same time.
Paul has officially announced his bid for reelection to the Senate but is currently barred by state law from seeking both that office and the presidency. He has not officially announced a presidential campaign but has laid the groundwork to build an infrastructure for a White House run. His ambitions to run for both offices simultaneously took a blow when Kentucky Democrats held the state house this fall, making it more difficult to change the law.
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McConnell called the dilemma something Paul has to grapple with at POLITICOs Lessons from Leaders summit on Wednesday morning.
Its a tough challenge in Kentucky. We have a very early filing deadline, late January. I think the Iowa caucuses start in February now, McConnell said. If that werent bad enough, after youre the nominee [in Kentucky], the only way to get off the ballot is if youre dead or declared insane by a judge.
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Paul is something of a trailblazer and would become perhaps the first major candidate to run for both offices at the same time. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has said he would not pursue reelection and the White House at the same time.
It is noteworthy that everybody that has run for two things at once has been the vice presidential candidate. Theyve been picked by someone else, they havent started out from the beginning and said, I want to run for both at the same time, McConnell told POLITICOs Susan Glasser and Mike Allen, who were moderating the event.
Still, the GOP leader broadcast that everyone should be prepared for him to forcefully back Pauls presidential ambitions. Though Paul defeated McConnells hand-picked Senate candidate in 2010, the two men have grown to be steady allies in the years since, sharing political advisers and coordinating strategy as they seek to balance their stewardship of the GOPs business and grassroots wings.
Rand Paul and I have a close relationship. We didnt start out that way, but we ended up being big allies. He was very helpful to me , McConnell said, referring to Pauls assistance with his reelection bid, and obviously Im going to support somebody from my own state. And everybody understands that.
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McConnell on Rand Paul's 2016 dilemma