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Hours after North Carolina state House Speaker Thom Tillis beat Kentucky Sen. Rand Pauls preferred candidate in the states GOP Senate primary, Paul put out a statement Tuesday night, calling on Republicans to rally behind Tillis in the general election.

Paul campaigned yesterday in Charlotte, North Carolina, for Greg Brannon, who failed to force the state House speaker, Tillis, into a runoff.

Now that the primary is over, it is time for our side to unite to defeat the Democrat who cast the deciding vote for Obamacare, Kay Hagan, in November, Paul said in a statement sent to reporters by his PAC. I endorse Thom Tillis and look forward to working with him in the Senate. I congratulate my friend Greg Brannon on a well fought race and encourage all the candidates to unite for victory in November.

(Also on POLITICO: 10 things to know about Thom Tillis)

Paul upset top national Republicans by making the 11th hour foray to Charlotte, which they feared could force a blood-letting, two-month runoff that would make it harder to pick up the must-win seat in November.

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Rand Paul endorses Tillis

Bucking pressure from businesses and fellow lawmakers, Sen. Rand Paul says he will continue to oppose tax treaties that would let the Internal Revenue Service gather more information about Americans overseas financial accounts.

The move dims the outlook for a planned Senate vote on the treaties, while highlighting the Kentucky Republicans contrarian streak. The treaties including a significant one with Switzerland enjoy widespread support among lawmakers of both parties. But Mr. Paul, who is preparing a 2016 presidential bid, believes they would encourage government snooping and erode Americans privacy rights.

Sen. Pauls opposition has held up action on the tax treaties since soon after they were sent to the Senate in 2011. Sen. Paul has placed hold on the treaties, meaning that the Senate would have to spend days on procedural moves to vote on any of the treaties.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) on Wednesday, Sen. Paul said he would renew his hold on the treaties for the current session of Congress. The treaties were recently recommended by a Senate committee, and lawmakers had been seeking a floor vote on them soon. Now those votes are in doubt, and leaders will have to weigh whether to sacrifice days of floor time to pass them.

Justice Department officials as well as executives of Swiss banks have blamed Senate inaction on the U.S.-Switzerland treaty for impeding a federal investigation into Americans overseas tax dodging, as well as the role of some Swiss banks. That has fueled criticism of Mr. Pauls opposition by some lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He also has been lobbied by U.S. multinational businesses that could benefit from the treaties.

The pressure has led to speculation that Mr. Paul would relax his opposition this year, as the Senate tries again to pass the proposed treaties with Switzerland, Luxembourg and several other countries.

In his letter to Mr. Reid, Mr. Paul also said the treaties would discourage investment in the U.S. by making it more difficult to do business with Americans.

To be clear, I certainly do not condone tax cheats, but I cant support a law that endangers regular foreign investment and punishes every American in pursuit of a few tax cheats, he wrote. Most importantly, I cannot support a bulk collection tax treaty that has complete disregard for the important protections provided to every American by the Fourth Amendment.

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Continued here:
Rand Paul Fights Tax Treaties Citing Privacy Concerns

(CNN) Sen. Rand Paul's unconventional style in politics apparently extends to his wardrobe, as well.

The Kentucky Republican delivered a speech Wednesday morning while wearing a baseball uniformwhite pants and all.

Paul spoke at the Leadership Institute just outside of Washington, D.C. at a 7:30 a.m. ET breakfast.

Wearing a red and white jersey with "Republicans" emblazoned across his chest, Paul had been practicing earlier in the morning for the upcoming Congressional Baseball Game for Charity.

He was also sporting a Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers hat. The university is based in Bowling Green, where Paul worked as an ophthalmologist before winning election to the Senate.

Paul later tweeted about his practice session, saying it was the GOP team's first meet-up before the June 25 game.

The potential presidential candidate has been known to dress down at times. During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, for example, he wore jeans with his suit jacket and tie.

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That time Rand Paul wore a baseball uniform to a speech

By Niels Lesniewski Posted at 6:16 p.m. on May 7, 2014

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Rand Paul is blocking quick action on a number of tax treaties, including with Switzerland, citing concerns about the privacy rights of Americans with foreign bank accounts.

To be clear, I certainly do not condone tax cheats, but I cant support a law that endangers regular foreign investment and punishes every American in pursuit of a few tax cheats. Most importantly I cannot support a bulk collection tax treaty that has complete disregard for the important protections provided to every American by the Fourth Amendment, the Kentucky Republican wrote in a letter sent today to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Paul announced formally that he would object to any unanimous consent request or other expedited consideration of consenting to ratification of several tax treaties, which the Foreign Relations panel backed on April 1.

The Constitution requiresa two-thirds majority of those present and voting for adoption of resolutions of ratification. When the Senate consents to noncontroversial treaties, it is customary to see Reid or his designee go through an odd sequence of standing up and sitting down to demonstrate the needed majority is present.

Its clear that will not happen in this case, given Pauls objection.

Previous tax treaties were more focused on information specific to suspicions of tax fraud while requiring that serious allegations of tax wrongdoing were grounded in evidence, Paul wrote. However, these new bulk collection treaties demand Americans records under a vague standardthat allows the government to access personal financial information that may be relevant through information exchanges between the U.S. and foreign governments a standard extended to other governments, as well.

Treatieswith Switzerland and Luxembourg are included on the list, requiring an increase in the amount of information exchanged between the countries and the United States. Other agreements involveChile, Hungary, as well as the the Council of Europe and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said during his panels consideration of the tax treaties that they werea crucial component of U.S. trade and tax policy.

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Rand Paul Holding Up Tax Treaties With Switzerland, Other Countries

Rand Paul On AIPAC Oppposition To His Bill To Cut Foreign Aid To Hamas
Rand Paul on White House #39;politicizing #39; Benghazi scandal and AIPAC #39;s opposition to his bill to cut foreign aid to the Palestinian government unless Hamas ren...

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Rand Paul On AIPAC Oppposition To His Bill To Cut Foreign Aid To Hamas - Video