NH Liberty Movement in Disarray as Rand Paul Drops Out

CONCORD, NH - The single candidate that most of New Hampshire’s robust liberty movement were turning to in the 2016 first-in-the-nation presidential primary suspended his campaign this morning.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, the son of Ron Paul, who came in second in the primary in 2012, decided on Feb. 3, 2016, to end his race and re-focus on getting re-elected to the Senate in Kentucky, according to press reports.

Paul – who had a Real Clear Politics NH primary average of about 2.8 percent at post time but was consistently polling in the Granite State at 6 percent for most of the summer and fall – was teetering in the lower tier of candidates but had an active organization of hundreds working on the effort here.

Michael Biundo of RightOn Strategies in Manchester and a senior advisor with the campaign said it was an honor and privilege to be a part of his team.

“I really enjoyed meeting the countless volunteers that have committed their lives to fight for liberty,” he said on Facebook. “Y’all have a powerful voice and place in the party and political process.”

Where liberty voters – a large block of the indie and Republican voters in NH – go from here is anyone’s guess.

Some, like former state Rep. George Lambert, and Andrew Hemingway, a 2014 gubernatorial candidate, were already with the Donald Trump organization; others, like Jane Cormier, have been backing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who just won Iowa. However, most of Rand’s most rabid supporters tend to not be as religious as Cruz and not be as moderate as Trump is on issues such as health care and trade.

State Sen. Andy Sanborn, R-Bedford, one of Paul’s early supporters, said he was proud to have stood with the Senator “where he continued to fuel the flames to fight for personal liberty and a smaller, more frugal government.” He added that Paul would continue to lead this fight in the Senate and “work tirelessly every day to balance the budget and get government to live within its means.”

Ron Noyes, a popular musician, former state representative candidate, and Ron Paul supporter convention delegate in 2012, said that many in the community were disappointed with Paul’s decision but proud that he was able to stand on principles.

“He has changed the narrative in the GOP from warning about the dangers of government overreach and the immediate need to support the entire Bill of Rights on all levels,” Noyes added. “While Rand’s campaign ended today, the effort to back those principles will not.”

Former state Rep. Seth Cohn, R-Canterbury, who was neutral in the race but formerly active in liberty politics in New Hampshire, said some in the movement would probably go with “none-of-the-above” or Vermin Supreme.

“Vermin is a better freedom figure than any of the remaining GOP,” he said. “That’s the sad state we’re in now.”

A number of other emails and text messages to supporters of Paul’s went unanswered at post time.

Brown backs Trump

Last night in Milford, in front of a crowd of thousands, former MA Sen. Scott Brown, threw his support behind Donald Trump in the primary.

Brown – who now calls New Hampshire home and hosted 10 candidates at his home in Rye throughout the summer and fall – suggested that the businessman was the only candidate who could take on the permanent bureaucrat class in Washington and get things done, putting Americans back to work.

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Rumors began to surface that Brown would back Trump – and even possibly be his running mate if he won the nomination – weeks ago when he hosted an event for him at a Portsmouth car dealership. Author Ann Coulter also appeared at the event, offering zingers about U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s youthful age and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s fondness for linens.

Cruz to Carson: Sorry

Cruz, who won Iowa, as some suspect, by stealing support from Dr. Ben Carson by having surrogates tell caucus-goers that the neurosurgeon was dropping out, has officially apologized to the campaign, according to Carson’s campaign.

A. Larry Ross, the communications director for Ben Carson for President 2016, said the doctor accepted the apology and hoped that the candidates could run positive campaigns, considering the state of the nation.

“Dr. Carson will continue to work tirelessly toward reforming the system, restoring faith in the integrity of the electoral process and giving government back to ‘We the People,’” Ross said. “He invites Senator Cruz and all of the candidates who profess to reject politics as usual to join him in conducting a race worthy of American ideals and respectful of the American people. He is looking forward to continuing his campaign in New Hampshire, South Carolina and beyond.”

Jeb: Turn Off Trump

Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-FL, the candidate who said that Trump wouldn’t be able to insult his way to the presidency, follows up his “he’s a jerk” comments with a new 2-minute ad requesting voters to “Turn Off Trump,” a collection of clips of some of the candidate’s more colorful comments. Watch it here: Turn Off Trump.

Where are the others?

As many as eight presidential candidates are in the Granite State right now with less than a week to go before primary voters cast ballots, according to NECN’s candidate tracker.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a rally in Nashua in front of hundreds of supporters on Tuesday. Clinton is in Derry and Drover later tonight. Both Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, will be in Derry tonight as part of a CNN town hall. Sanders held a large rally in Keene yesterday but has no scheduled events today beyond the CNN event, according to the tracker.

Gov. Chris Christie, R-NJ, also rallied in Nashua on Monday and Londonderry on Tuesday. He hosts a town hall in Milford tonight.

Businesswoman Carly Fiorina is in Portsmouth and Stratham this morning and then holds eight other events around New Hampshire on Thursday and Friday.

Bush is at events in New London and Laconia, while Rubio was in Bow and Pittsfield this morning. He makes stops in Laconia and Dover later today. Cruz is at New England College this morning and then makes stops in Hooksett, Goffstown, Amherst and Nashua. Gov. John Kasich, R-OH, is in Durham, Raymond, Manchester, and Derry today.

Final NH debates

So, when are the next debates on television? There are two more scheduled before the New Hampshire primary:

Both Clinton and Sanders will face off on MSNBC at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4, from UNH in Durham.

At St. Anselm College in Manchester, Republicans will debate on ABC at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6. Participants include the top three finishers in Iowa – Cruz, Trump and Rubio – as well as any candidate in the top six in recent New Hampshire or national poll averages, according to organizers.

At post time, that would appear to be Kasich, Bush, and Christie, since they all average between 6 and 10 percent in New Hampshire polling, in the fourth to sixth slots, and Carson, who currently is fourth in averages of national polls.

With Paul out of the race, it’s unclear whether or not organizers of the debate will forego the requirements to include the only Republican woman running for president – Fiorina – who is running eighth in national polling and seventh in New Hampshire polling averages.

Caption: A roundup of photos from the primary trail. The photos of Donald Trump and Scott Brown as well as Chris Christie is credited to Jeffrey Hastings/Frame of Mind Photography. FrameofMindPhoto.com. Clinton photo courtesy of hillaryclinton.com.