2016 presidential contender Sen. Rand Paul coming to Alabama

—

December 7, 2014

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will be the keynote speaker at The Alabama Republican Party Victory Celebration and Winter Dinner in Montgomery on Feb. 20, 2015.

Paul, a libertarian-leaning ophthalmologist who was elected to the Senate in the Tea Party wave of 2010, is widely believed to be preparing to run for president in 2016.

“We are honored to have Senator Rand Paul as our keynote speaker as we celebrate the incredible statewide Republican successes the Party had during this election cycle,” ALGOP Chairman Bill Armistead said in a release announcing the event. “The Victory Celebration will give Alabamians an opportunity to see up close one of the leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. Senator Paul has ignited a lot of excitement amongst a segment of our population that we need to become more active in our Party: young people, females and minorities. We look forward to celebrating our victories with Republicans from every corner of the state at the Winter Dinner.”

Washington Post political analysts Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake recently ranked Paul as the potential presidential contender who is most likely to win the GOP’s nomination.

“People used to roll their eyes when we said Paul had a real chance to be the Republican nominee in 2016. No one rolls their eyes anymore,” they wrote. “Paul has a unique activist and fundraising base thanks to his dad’s two runs for president, and has shown considerable savvy in his outreach efforts to the establishment end of the party over the past few years. Paul still says odd things — his blaming of high cigarette taxes for Eric Garner’s death being the latest — that are going to get him in trouble in the heat of a presidential race. But, Paul is the candidate furthest along in the planning process for president and the one with the most current strength in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.”

Paul has also made some key staffing moves that may signal his 2016 intentions.

Most notably, Paul hired digital campaign guru Vincent Harris away from potential 2016 rival Ted Cruz. Harris’s Texas-based firm Harris Media has been behind the tech-savvy campaigns of Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry and Sen. Mitch McConnell. Harris will now be chief digital strategist for Paul’s political operation.

Paul’s keynote address will take place on Friday evening, Feb. 20, and will be followed by the ALGOP’s winter meeting, at which they will elect a new chairman. Current chairman Bill Armistead has not yet indicated whether he will seek a third term.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling 205-212-5900. Individual tickets are available for $150, and tables can be purchased for $1,500. Various sponsorship levels are also available by emailing megan (at) algop (dot) org.