As we alluded to earlier this week, Ron Paul's high amount of cash on hand raises some questions about his future political ambitions that earns this week's Friday Look.
Paul flat ruled out an independent bid for President at Wednesday night's debate:
Many pundits and bloggers alike, including yours truly, had speculated on the possibilities of Ron Paul in the general election either as an independent or third party candidate. But after demonstrating in the above clip that he is a proud Republican, we think he may have his sights set somewhere else...the world's most deliberative body.
While it may rankle many of his supporters, Ron Paul is a Republican. He has been elected 10 times as a Republican, represents a Republican district, and believes in most of the things that Republicans do. In his view, the Party has strayed too far from its roots and he is carrying the flag for the old guard.
Paul is not without political ambition. In addition to his long shot candidacy for the presidency, he had previously run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1984 and for President in 1988. Thus a Paul candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2008, or even 2010, would not be without precedent. Similarly, Paul has shown a willingness to challenge incumbents in the primary; something he would be doing if he ran for Senate in 2008. A Paul candidacy for the U.S. Senate would be interesting. Whether its just piss poor campaign management or strategic hoarding, Paul will have a lot of cash on hand when he eventually withdraws from the race for the Republican presidential nomination. That is cash that he will able to roll into another campaign account.
For the 2008 U.S. Senate race in Texas, that would mean he would have more cash on hand than incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn. Cornyn, who is in a dangerous position with an approval rating under 50%, would have his hands full with Paul, and a primary fight between the two would get ugly fast.
Paul, who has a proven national fundraising base, would also be able to retap any maxed out donors for more money and solicit new contributions from his continually expanding national fund raising list. He has also shown he can raise money locally in his previous runs for Congress.
A Senator Paul would be as equally interesting. The U.S. Senate is a more suitable soapbox for him where the statement is just as important as anything that gets done. Senators are also national figures who often represent more than just their home state, and the relative strength of Paul's presidential candidacy shows that there is a national constituency that is underrepresented.
Of course there is always the prospect of Paul returning to Congress to represent his 14th district. We just hope he doesn't retire from public service just yet.
Very interesting. While I want to see Paul stay in the race as long as possible, Paul with a Senate seat and his new national recognition could be a another big step towards returning the GOP to the old right.
Posted by: Andrew | December 1, 2007 2:09 PM | Permalink to Comment