I wish Rand Paul had been elected in 2006. With some national exposure and experience he might be an interesting candidate.
From this morning’s Open Secrets. Check out his top individual contributors, not armchair warriors but rather real ones:
RON PAUL LAUNCHES (ANOTHER) PRESIDENTIAL BID: Center for Responsive Politics’ reporting intern Zach Newkirk passes this news about the latest GOP presidential candidate:
He’s back! On Tuesday, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) announced he is forming a presidential exploratory committee.
Paul ran for the Republican nomination during the 2008 election cycle but the GOP ultimately chose Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as its nominee. Paul also ran in 1988 on the Libertarian Party ticket.
During the 2008 election, Paul was a significant player in the world of money-in-politics — though it did not equate to electoral success.
He raised more than $34.3 million in individual contributions and only $18,332 from political action committees, according to Center for Responsive Politics research. The top three contributors to Paul’s presidential run were individuals employed by the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. The top industries and special interest areas to contribute to Paul were retirees, computers and internet and health professionals. Paul, not-so-coincidentally, is a licensed obstetrician.
Men dominated Paul’s contributing base. The Center’s research indicates that nearly 89 percent of all Paul donors during the 2008 election cycle were male.
Paul’s largest base of support came from California, which accounted for $2.2 million in contributors, or about 16 percent. Texas, the state that he represents, came in second with nearly $1.9 million, about 13 percent of total contributions. Florida rounded out the top three with $970,000.
Paul’s financial support was most prominent in the metro areas of Los Angeles; Dallas; Austin, Texas; and Washington, D.C. Together, these four metro areas accounted for more than $1.6 million in contributions to Paul.