Rand Paul will not be nominated to be the Republican candidate for President, at least not in 2016. The best way that he can help his country and his party is to leave the race quickly and throw his support towards a conservative.
Following another weak debate performance, Paul’s campaign is suffering. He can’t seem to raise enough money to get going and he’s risking losing his ever-important seat in the Senate. Here are five reasons that Paul should suspend his Presidential campaign.
He’s a Great Senator
While Marco Rubio defends why he’s missed 42% of his Senate votes since announcing his candidacy, Paul has voted on almost all of them. He’s a warrior and has garnered a significant amount of power and respect from his colleagues despite being a first-term Senator. Moreover, he’s one of the best filibuster weapons the party has available.
Perhaps the most compelling argument is that the longer he continues his Presidential campaign, the harder it will be for him to keep his Senate seat. It’s unfortunate that his term coincides with the Presidential election, but it does and that doesn’t bode well if he gets challenged.
Donald Trump
If there’s one person Paul has been vocal about throughout his campaign, it’s Donald Trump. He doesn’t believe Trump has any business trying to be President of the United States. Unfortunately, his attacks on Trump have done very little to hurt his numbers. If anything, Paul has helped keep Donald Trump as a talking point.
Dropping out and supporting another candidate is the best way he can have a negative impact on the Trump campaign.
Bush/Rubio Establishment
Speaking of making an impact, there’s another risk that goes against Paul’s conservative/libertarian principles. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are battling it out for the establishment vote. Paul definitely doesn’t want Bush to get the nomination and while he likes much of what Rubio supports, he knows in his heart of hearts that Rubio is a moderate pretending to be a conservative.
Only Ted Cruz and possibly Ben Carson have the same basic ideologies as Paul. This is hard to swallow considering that Paul has made some pretty harsh attacks on Cruz, but there’s nothing more political than flip-flopping and if he wants the next President to be a conservative, it may be time for Paul to eat some humble pie and throw his support towards Cruz.
He Can’t Win in 2016
If there’s one thing that Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee are proving, it’s that staying in too long won’t help his political career in the future. He won’t win the nomination. He’s too far behind and doesn’t have enough money to mount a serious campaign.
He CAN Win in 2020 or 2024
Rand Paul is 52-years-old. He has plenty of time to pull a Mitt Romney, collect support over the next 4-8 years. If the Republicans win this election, he will still be in his prime by the time the 2024 election comes around. If the Democrats win, he’ll be primed and ready for a 2020 run without having to worry about running for Senator at the same time. The longer he lingers in this election, the less likely he’ll be a viable candidate for President in the future.
Rand Paul is a talented and principled conservative. He must do the right thing and get out of the Presidential race. The longer he waits, the worse it will be for everyone other than Donald Trump and the Democrats.