PoliticsHillary ClintonMitch McConnellPolitics

Rand Paul Will Join Mitch McConnell On The Campaign Trail On The Eve Of Election Day

Rand Paul Will Join Mitch McConnell On The Campaign Trail On The Eve Of Election Day
Reuters
Kentucky Sens. Mitch McConnell, left, and Rand Paul speak with reporters following their appearance at the 50th annual Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Kentucky Sens. Mitch McConnell, left, and Rand Paul speak with reporters following their appearance at the 50th annual Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

By Gabriel Debenedetti and Jeff Mason

ASHLAND, Va., Oct 16 (Reuters) - Likely 2016 presidential contender Rand Paul will return to his home state of Kentucky the day before Election Day to campaign with Republican colleague Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Locked in a tight race with Kentucky's Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, McConnell has not received much help from Paul, a libertarian-leaning freshman senator who has openly flirted with a White House bid.

Paul has barnstormed the country campaigning for candidates, but his involvement in the Kentucky race has been sparse even as McConnell regularly mentions his more popular younger colleague in campaign speeches.

The two senators come from different wings of the Republican Party; McConnell is a long-time member of the establishment and Paul swept into office in 2010's Tea Party wave.

But McConnell's victory has seemed more likely in recent weeks as poll numbers stay on his side and national Democrats have shrunk their own investment in the race.

Paul said in an interview he would go to Kentucky on Nov. 3 to campaign with McConnell.

"Alison Grimes is in a downward spiral right now. You know, the national party is pulling out of the race. They're no longer going to spend money in her race, and she can't remember who she voted for for president," Paul told Reuters after campaigning for local candidates in Virginia, referring to Grimes' repeated refusal to say whether she voted for President Barack Obama in 2012.

"I think it's pretty difficult if you want to run for high office if you're not willing to admit who you voted for president. It also really shows the depths of the president's popularity that his own party won't even admit to voting for him," Paul added, not specifically mentioning McConnell while assessing the race.

While Paul has been active in a series of races across the country, especially in states that play a big role in the presidential nominating process, others have parachuted into Kentucky.

Grimes' campaign, for example, was given a boost by likely Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night at a large rally in Louisville.

"Let's put another crack in that glass ceiling," Clinton said of sending another woman to the Senate.

But Paul, who was in the strategically important state of New Hampshire on Thursday and is due in Iowa, the other most influential state, next week, brushed off the notion that Clinton could significantly help Grimes.

"People mistake thinking the Clintons are popular in Kentucky," Paul said. (Reporting by Gabriel Debenedetti and Jeff Mason; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Before You Go

Iowa Senate
Tom Williams via Getty Images
Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) appears to be picking up momentum in her bid to turn retiring Sen. Tom Harkin's (D) seat from blue to red. The Democratic nominee, Rep. Bruce Braley, has continued to suffer from the backlash over his comments about Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) background as a farmer. Democrats, however, think they can paint Ernst as extreme by highlighting her comments about the minimum wage, nullification of federal laws, Medicaid recipients, personhood legislation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Alaska Senate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich (D) has worked to show he is independent from President Barack Obama's administration as he battles former state Attorney General Dan Sullivan, a Republican. The senator has opposed Obama's strategies to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria and to expand background checks on gun sales. He has also disassociated himself from his party by remaining open to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.Republicans, on the other hand, have worked to tie Begich to the president, who is deeply unpopular in the state.
Colorado Senate
Mark Udall (Kent Nishimura via Getty Images)
Sen. Mark Udall (D) and Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) are locked in one of the closest races on this year's Senate map.Democrats have put Gardner on the defensive over his past support for personhood legislation, which would give legal rights to fetuses from the moment of fertilization. Republicans have continuously hit Udall over the Affordable Care Act, his energy policies and national security issues.
Arkansas Senate
Mark Pryor (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is now the slight favorite in his race against Sen. Mark Pryor, the only Democratic member of his state's congressional delegation. The dialogue between the two candidates has moved from the farm bill and food stamps to the minimum wage and funding for pediatric research to the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision.
Kansas Senate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The surprise race of this cycle is in Kansas, where Sen. Pat Roberts (R) may be edged out by independent Greg Orman, who insists he's disenchanted with both parties. Republicans are scrambling to paint Orman as a Democrat in disguise, but Roberts is still experiencing the fallout from a New York Times report that revealed that he doesn't maintain a permanent home in the state.
New Hampshire Senate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) is fighting for re-election against former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).Democrats have done everything they can to ridicule Brown's candidacy, but President Barack Obama's unpopularity in the Granite State, as in other states, may hurt Shaheen on Nov. 4.
Louisiana Senate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) is a political survivor, having won her last three Senate races by narrow margins. She'll need another miracle if the nonpartisan primary on Nov. 4. goes to a Dec. 6. runoff, as all of the GOP's energy will presumably be focused on putting Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) over the top, especially if control of Congress' upper chamber hinges on this race.Landrieu would need to significantly boost turnout in cities such as New Orleans to eke out a runoff win. Her brother is the mayor of New Orleans, though, so that could help.
North Carolina Senate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sen. Kay Hagan (D) has so far held on against a challenge from North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis (R). Republicans have gone from being gleeful with expectations that they would take the seat to glum, as Democrats have worked to tar Tillis with the actions of the state legislature over which he presided. Republicans have called Hagan ineffectual, while Democrats have consistently highlighted Tillis' record on education spending, voting rights and abortion rights.
Kentucky Senate
Win McNamee via Getty Images
One of the Democratic Party's pickup opportunities is in Kentucky, but that possibility seems to be receding as Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) has been dropping off in the polls against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R). While McConnell's campaign has run ads touting his work on behalf of constituents and accused Grimes of being too close to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Grimes has distanced herself from others in her party. Though McConnell remains unpopular in the state, Grimes would need heavy turnout to surpass him.
Georgia Senate
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The second of the Democrats' two pickup opportunities in red states is in Georgia, where nonprofit executive Michelle Nunn and businessman David Perdue (R) both hope to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R). Both candidates have well-known surnames: Nunn's father is popular former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), while Perdue's cousin is former Gov. Sonny Perdue (R). Democrats think they can turn the state purple with the help of groups like the New Georgia Project, led by Georgia state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D), which has collected tens of thousands of voter registration applications.
|
Submit a tip

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot