Posted on 10/18/2015 8:35:00 AM PDT by Isara
When Rand Paul entered the GOP presidential race, he sought to stitch together a distinct coalition: his father's fiercely loyal libertarian supporters, millennials, and others new to Republican politics whom he hoped to draw with his provocative stances on privacy and marijuana laws.
Six months later, none of that is working. Paul is a low single-digit blip in the polls. He barely meets the threshold to participate in the next debate later this month. Influential conservatives are urging him to bail out.
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As the Kentucky senator struggles, a sometime ally turned rival, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, is working hard to court voters who adored Paul's father. Rand Paul's strategists had assumed that voters enamored of former Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas libertarian, would be the bedrock of his support.
Cruz, a fellow product of the tea party movement, is beginning to pick up support just as Paul is losing it. The Texas senator is building a large campaign bank account while Paul is spending more money than he is raising.
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Drew Ivers, Ron Paul's 2012 Iowa chairman, suggested there was an inherent conflict in Rand Paul's presidential slogan — "Defeat the Washington machine" — and the fact he campaigned for members of the Capitol Hill establishment, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "That is a mixed signal."
Ivers, who is not aligned with any candidate in the 2016 race, said Paul's efforts to court both the right and left was a flawed strategy. "It has backfired," ...
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Cruz last week reported raising about $12 million in the third quarter and having nearly $13.5 million in the bank. Paul, meanwhile, spent more than $4.5 million, about $2 million more than his campaign raised in the quarter. He listed $2.1 million cash on hand.
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(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Cruz is running a stealth campaign that might win the end game. The left and the leftist media is underestimating him and he’s exploiting it very skillfully.
Cruz is steady and sure.
You have to have been a nutjob to support Ron Paul. Ted Cruz is not a nutjob so I can’t imagine he’ll get the nutjob vote.
You’ll be surprised how many people will end up supporting Cruz.
and its working
Cruz can cobble libertarians, Tea Party together, He did it masterfully here in Texas.
Cruz can cobble libertarians, Tea Party together, He did it masterfully here in Texas.
Yes he can and that’s a great point.
Obviously the first question should be “Who would want that rabble?”
That’s an idiotic thing to say. That “rabble” will help defeat Hitlery.
I support Cruz, but seriously hope his campaign doesn’t get saddled with a bunch of loopy paulbots.
Ron Paul is a nut, and many of his followers are conspiratorial head cases too.
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What do you care who votes for Cruz?
Your statement makes little sense.
It would be fine with me if Hitlery’s gang joined in too.
Great analysis
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