Political prognosticators at Bloomberg Businessweek are interested in U.S. Sen. Rand Paul‘s recent maneuvers.
Paul isn’t just making an appeal to the die-hard libertarians who formed his dad’s grassroots base. With talk of 2016 already in the air—a super-PAC to support a Rand Paul presidential bid was formed in January—he’s also courting establishment Republicans, casting himself as a leader. “The Republican Party has a void of power,” says GOP strategist Ron Bonjean. “The language he uses is a hybrid between mainstream conservativism and libertarianism, to attract both. He’s picking his moments, and he’s made some politically shrewd moves.” Paul didn’t respond to requests for an interview.
Paul and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, his fellow Kentuckian, used to be adversaries; McConnell backed Rand’s primary challenger in 2010. The men are now working together, recently co-sponsoring legislation to legalize industrial hemp production. During the filibuster, which most Republicans sat out, McConnell went down to the Senate floor to congratulate Paul for his “courage and conviction.”
With Paul’s blessing, McConnell has hired Paul’s former campaign manager, Jesse Benton, to run his re-election campaign next year. McConnell needs Paul’s backing to keep the Tea Partiers from mounting a primary challenge. Paul stands to gain from the alliance, too. “Mainstream conservatives are still forming an opinion about him,” Bonjean says. McConnell’s ties to more moderate Republicans could help.