Sen. Rand Paul is making moves for 2016.
After successfully campaigning for GOP candidates in this year’s midterm elections, the Kentucky Republican is now taking steps toward declaring a 2016 Republican presidential bid by bringing a medium-sized team of advisers for a closed-door summit in Washington, D.C. this week, according to Politico.
Paul, 51, has already informally initiated a campaign against presumptive Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton — who also yet to formally declare a candidacy — while helping Republican candidates in 35 states this year.
He is now moving toward a springtime announcement, and his campaign is expected to be a “go” by mid-April of next year, with an official announcement following shortly.
Paul also has plans to announce that he’ll run for Senate re-election in 2016, a race that he will have to run simultaneously with his presidential campaign. If he wins the GOP presidential nod, expect him to suspend his Senate re-election campaign.
Leading up to his 2015 announcement, Paul reportedly plans to continue building his team of advisers and allies, while firing shots at potential Democratic candidates and building his libertarian brand.
Paul will have to battle past his reputation as an isolationist.
“It’s to define myself about foreign policy rather than have other people define me,” he said. “It’s a competitive marketplace of ideas and some people … want to knock you down.”
A RealClearPolitics average of polls places Paul in the lead against an 11-person deep field of potential Republican 2016 presidential candidates. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee each trail by less than a percentage point.
