The Republican National Committee may have just paved the way for a strong primary performance by Rand Paul.

The RNC recently decided that Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada will hold their primaries first. This lineup is widely considered to have given Rand Paul a decisive advantage. By giving Paul what could be his easiest battles first, the RNC’s schedule may help Paul establish himself as a promising candidate early in the primary.

“If Rand were to win two of those first three or three of those first four, he would be a train gathering a lot of steam,” says Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak.

“He already has his team in place in Iowa. I don’t know too many presidential candidates who can say that in May of 2014,” says Republican strategist Chris LaCivita.

Iowa and New Hampshire were two of Ron Paul’s strongest states in the 2012 primary.

Real Clear Politics’ 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination data shows that Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee are currently tied for first place.

Related: Rand Paul is right: we need to arm commercial pilots | The Libertarian Republic



