Rand Paul allowed to run for president, Senate
Republican Sen. Rand Paul has been allowed to run for both the presidential election and the Senate in 2016, the Republican Party in Kentucky announces.
According to state law, a candidate cannot run twice in one ballot during the same election, however, Kentucky Republican leaders made a different choice Saturday, approving the use of a presidential caucus which would allow Americans to vote for Paul for president before the overall Republican primary election is held.
The caucus makes it possible for candidates, who win at least 5 percent of the vote, to be considered qualified for delegates, who would be split proportionally compared with a “winner takes all” approach.
A GOP presidential caucus is scheduled to be held on March 5, 2016 along with a separate primary election for other offices, including Paul’s Senate seat, which will take place on May 17 the same year.
"This is not about Sen. Paul in my mind. This is about making Kentucky relevant," committee member Troy Sheldon said, according to The Associated Press. "I think it's the best thing for voters."
Paul himself has been pushing for the maneuver, and Republicans on the state party’s executive committee maintain it benefits voters as a whole.
"I think it is about something above and beyond one person. It really is about trying to grow the party and I'm thoroughly convinced that were I not in this race that this is just good for the Republican Party," Paul told reporters.
Meanwhile, state GOP leaders hope this approach will persuade a sufficient number of the 17 declared Republican presidential candidates to campaign in Kentucky.
The 5 percent threshold is much lower than in other primary states.
The earlier voting also comes with a $500,000 price-tag, causing problems for the Kentucky Republican Party, which claims to have less than $170,000 on hand.
Paul is considered a strong candidate among over a dozen of the Republicans fighting to get the party’s nomination.
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