A super PAC backing Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has decided to suspend its fundraising efforts, citing concerns that Paul has sacrificed his libertarian views while attempting to salvage his presidential campaign.
Ed Crane, who leads the pro-Paul PurplePAC, told Politico Tuesday that his group will no longer raise money for the Kentucky senator, who is ninth in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings, until they are convinced his campaign has re-evaluated, and redirected, its strategy.
“I wasn’t going to raise money to spend on a futile crusade,” Crane, who co-founded the Cato Institute, a leading libertarian think tank, reportedly said of his decision.
“I want to grab Rand by the lapels and say, ‘What are you doing?'” he added. “I’m a big fan of Rand Paul. But whatever motivates his campaign, I don’t get it.”
PurplePAC had just over $1.3 million cash on hand when it filed its mid-year fundraising report in late July — a figure Crane refuses to add to given Paul’s current placing in national polls.
“I just don’t want to do that to my friends,” he said, in reference to seeking additional contributions.
Hours before news broke of PurplePAC’s discontinuation of its fundraising activity, Paul took aim at Republican leaders with a scathing speech on the floor of the Senate. And on Monday, he appeared resolute about outlasting GOP front-runner Donald Trump.
“Ultimately we’re going to get to the truth, we’re going to get to substance — it takes a while,” Paul told CNN. “But by no means am I finished: I’m just getting started.”
Nevertheless, Crane’s decision leaves the junior senator’s already floundering campaign with additional wounds.
Survey results following both GOP primary debates indicate Paul has yet to deliver a standout performance, and his short-lived feud with Trump has done virtually nothing to boost his support in national polls.
On Tuesday, Trump predicted that Paul’s campaign will soon go the way of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s; both dropped out of the 2016 presidential race just months after entering.
Sergio Gor, who served as Paul’s communications director in the Senate before transitioning to the same role on his campaign, disputed reports that PurplePAC had suspended its support of Paul.
“It is untruthful for a story to say this super PAC stopped supporting Sen. Paul, when in fact they don’t seem to have lifted a finger in the first place,” in a statement to the Examiner.
Compared to two other outside groups supporting Paul, Crane’s organization has done little to bolster support for the senator’s presidential campaign. The two groups, Concerned American Voters and America’s Liberty PAC, have released web-based ads or helped to foster additional grassroots support.
Meanwhile, PurplePAC has reportedly spent a combined $7,500 on legal fees and “logo design services,” according to The Hill. The group’s website currently advertises a $10,000 “giveaway” to Paul supporters willing to submit their “best ideas for how to promote Rand Paul in the 2016 presidential election.”
Crane could not be reached for comment.
