i'm kind of tempted to bet the GOP candidate losing to hilary, mainly because the republicans don't have enough broad appeal. though i won't vote for hilary, i wouldn't mind putting my money on her.
I wouldn't consider Rand a frontrunner. Paul will probably struggle for donors in CA, TX, OH. Current trends shouldn't be taken as a reasonable projection by any means.
There's a lot going on behind the scenes in Paul's plans to run for the big house. He's got monthly meetings w/ big time donors of all groups, even former Romney and Bush guys.
The challenge for Paul at this stage, however, is not to persuade the American public of his policy correctness or his electability. Paul’s immediate target audience is an invisible primary electorate made up of influential party donors and power brokers, many of whom are relatively unfamiliar with Paul or wary of his political brand.
The process has involved relentlessly courting allies outside the traditional Libertarian core of support built up by his father, Ron Paul -- such as Rupert Murdoch, who accompanied Paul to this year's running of the Kentucky Derby.
But to land such meetings, Paul's political reputation alone does not always suffice, often requiring an assist from allies more connected to the mainstream Republican Party, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“You think Rupert Murdoch would have come to the Kentucky Derby with Rand if McConnell hadn't told him what a good guy he is?” said one Republican source with knowledge of the meeting. Indeed, since Paul has actively supported McConnell in his challenging re-election bid, McConnell has in return acted as an emissary of sorts for Paul with mainstream donors and party influencers. Then, once Paul gets in the room, his allies say, he’s gifted at closing the deal.
“When McConnell puts his arm on Rand's shoulder, he goes from a curiosity to a serious player,” the party source explained. “McConnell helps open the door, and Rand charges in.”
Also opening doors for Paul is Nate Morris, 33, a Kentucky-based businessman and former bundler for George W. Bush's 2004 presidential campaign, who boasts deep connections in the business community and a close friendship with Bush's former finance guru, Jack Oliver. Morris each month has been helping to set up several introductions between Paul and deep-pocketed GOP influencers.
Just as the Republican establishment has been slow to warm to Paul, support from the religious right — an important constituency in a Republican presidential primary — has also been somewhat elusive.
Paul began working to shore up support among religious conservatives with a trip to Israel early last year. The trip was the brainchild of David Lane, an evangelical activist with deep ties in Iowa, who has been at the center of Paul's efforts to appeal to the religious right. Also along for the ride were A.J. Spiker, the former Iowa Republican Party chairman who in March stepped down to steer Paul's PAC; now-former South Carolina GOP Chairman Chad Connelly; Mallory Factor, who holds influential meetings among conservative power brokers in New York and South Carolina; and Morris, among others.
But Paul has attracted the most notice for reaching far beyond the traditional Republican base of support — with a speech at Howard University in Washington, a historically black college, and by reaching out to black pastors.
“I haven't seen this kind of inclusive thinking since George W. Bush,” said one Republican familiar with Paul’s strategy. “He’s going places where Republicans typically won't go.”
cont...
http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2548770Also...
Rand Paul to headline “conservatarian” tech gathering in San Francisco
By Joe Garofoli
A likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate is coming to San Francisco this summer and — stop the presses — not to raise money. Well, no fundraiser are scheduled yet for Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY when he rolls into town in July.
The main reason he’s coming to town is to headline “Lincoln Labs Conference 2014: Reboot,” the conservatarian tech conference July 18-20 in San Francisco. The goal of the confab is to link the tech savvy of Silicon Valley with the political needs of conservative and libertarian – or “conservatarian” – America.
Also scheduled to be there is Nick Gillespie, editor in chief of Reason.org and Reason TV, the libertarian media hubs, and Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-WA, who will be “trying to see how Congress can adapt some of these (tech) tools to what they’re doing,” co-organizers Aaron Ginn told me. Also on the lineup is Joe Green, former Harvard roommate of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and co-founder of the issue advocacy group fwd.us. He’ll be there to talk about tech and immigration reform
http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/05/29/rand-paul-to-headline-conservatarian-tech-gathering-in-san-francisco/I'm sure Peter Thiel is in there somewhere.
