LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 1 (UPI) — Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) filed Monday to run for president in his home state of Kentucky — as well as for his current senate seat.
Paul said the move does not indicate a lack of confidence in his presidential bid. “I think what it reflects is that people see my voice as a unique voice in the U.S. Senate and they want my voice to be heard nationally, and while I am an optimist, everybody knows there is 10, 15 other men and women running,” he said.
The Lexington Herald Leader reported the move complicates things for Paul due to a Kentucky law that prohibits candidates from appearing twice on the same ballot. The Kentucky GOP chose to hold its first-ever presidential caucus in March to avoid the conflict during the normal primary election in May. The paper reported Paul raised $250,000 to cover the cost of the caucus, and on Monday he paid the $15,000 filing fee to participate.
Paul is the fifth Republican to file for the caucus, following former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Donald Trump and Ben Carson.
Paul made his pitch to reach out to African American voters who have left the GOP. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Paul filed the paperwork at the Jefferson County Republican Party’s West End office, where he told a crowd: “We are still the party of equal opportunity, we are still the party of emancipation, but now we also want to be the party of opportunity.”
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