Republicans from all across Kentucky will be in the audience next week when Sen. Rand Paul announces his presidential run in Louisville — with one big exception.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has endorsed Paul’s national bid. But there are official endorsements and then there are endorsements with all the accouterments — fundraising help, stops on the campaign trail, leaning on fellow pols to get on board — and McConnell’s imprimatur is decidedly in the former category.


In the latest twist in a relationship between two politicians who in many respects are polar opposites, the Republican leader won’t be on hand for his junior senator’s White House campaign kickoff. Sources familiar with his decision insisted it’s not meant as a slight: McConnell is simply following through on his pledge not to campaign for Paul, lest he play favorites among the three other members of his conference planning or eyeing bids of their own.

“While McConnell has made his support for Rand known, he also has a job to do as majority leader,” said one Republican official with knowledge of their relationship. “With several members of his conference running for the same office, it’s just easier for him to do his day job that way.”

The two Kentucky Republicans cut very different profiles — one is the embodiment of the party establishment, the other a tea party libertarian — yet they’ve formed an alliance the past few years that has paid political dividends for both. Each has helped the other’s cause with the part of the GOP in which he’s weakest — Paul’s endorsement of McConnell’s reelection last year helped the GOP leader court the conservative grass roots, and McConnell has lent Paul cred with more mainstream Republicans as he tries to broaden his appeal for 2016.

But McConnell’s move to skip Paul’s presidential launch shows the limits of their alliance.

McConnell isn’t the only lawmaker grappling with the presidential ambitions of colleagues from their state’s delegation. In states such as Florida, where Sen. Marco Rubio plans to formally announce his bid in mid-April, Republicans like Rep. John Mica are instead supporting their state’s former governor, Jeb Bush. In South Carolina, Sen. Tim Scott plans to stay neutral even as his senior colleague from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, is openly toying with a run. And in Texas, conservative firebrand Ted Cruz has won few allies in his state’s delegation, with many eager to jump behind another candidate or stay out of the race altogether.

Asked about Cruz, Texas Rep. Pete Sessions said he believes his state’s delegation will instead rally behind a Republican candidate with wider appeal.

“We need someone who can win the state of Florida, can win the state of Pennsylvania … and can win the state of Ohio,” Sessions said. “We can have favorite sons. … There is nothing wrong with that, but Republicans want to win before we want an ideological [candidate].”

Part of the reason for the lack of support is the crowded primary field, with big-name governors including Bush, Scott Walker and Chris Christie all expected to run. Part of it, too, has to do with the fact that three first-term senators who are running have spent little time developing deep relationships on Capitol Hill. And part of it has to do with the lack of interest among many of the presidential candidates to woo lawmakers, given the low approval rating of Capitol Hill and the desire to be seen by voters as a Washington outsider.

Several endorsements could move voters, particularly lawmakers who are influential in early states like Iowa. The two senators who have considerable sway among GOP primary voters, the senior senator Chuck Grassley and the prominent freshman Joni Ernst, both were coy when asked about their primary favorites.

“I am not, but I want them all to come to Iowa,” Ernst said when asked if she would offer an endorsement. “I’m going to stay neutral.”

Asked if he would stay neutral the whole primary season, Grassley said: “Why don’t you ask me once a month?”

Senators with deep connections to big GOP donors could be important, as well — if they lend their financial support to the presidential hopefuls. One is Texas Sen. John Cornyn, but he said he plans to stay neutral in the GOP primary, declining to offer fundraising help to Cruz, who has frequently been a thorn in his party leadership’s side.

And McConnell doesn’t plan to attend fundraisers for Paul — at least for the moment.

The Republican source familiar with their relationship said McConnell’s decision to skip Paul’s announcement ceremony has been discussed between the two camps. The source said McConnell has “no plans at the moment to do any presidential events.”

In an email, McConnell added: “I am happy to give my support to Sen. Paul as he officially begins his candidacy, and I wish him success. I have been happy to have his support during his time in the Senate and am proud to work alongside him for Kentucky and our shared conservative values.”

McConnell, too, has been grappling with the restriction in state law that prohibits Paul from running for two offices simultaneously. He has had extensive discussions with the junior Republican to ensure the Paul presidential campaign doesn’t cost Republicans one of the state’s Senate seats.

Others in the Kentucky delegation are eager to get behind Paul’s campaign, even if their support seems a bit qualified.

“As a Kentuckian, I’ll be supporting Rand Paul, but in the long term I think it’s very important we have the strongest candidate possible,” said Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.). “In the long run, if things keep going as they are, that would be marvelous, but if things don’t work out, then we want the strongest candidate we can get.”

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All the members of the Hill delegation have been invited to Paul’s speech April 7 at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, and Reps. Thomas Massie, Andy Barr, Brett Guthrie and Whitfield are among those expected to attend.

In South Carolina, Graham can count on the support of GOP Rep. Tom Rice if he runs for president. But Scott, the state’s popular senator, is holding off.

“Lindsey is a smart guy, a lot to offer. I think he’s going to certainly change the debate on foreign affairs, and we’ll have to see how it all pans out,” Scott said when asked if he would back Graham. “We’ve got too many folks coming in the ring, and I want to watch them all.”

In 2010, a number of GOP officeholders opposed Rubio when he ran in the Senate primary against then-Gov. Charlie Crist, who ultimately switched parties. This time around, not everyone from Florida is on board with Rubio.

“He’s a fine, well-qualified, very attractive candidate, but I’ve committed to Mr. Bush, who has great executive credentials,” Mica said.

In Texas, the relationship between many Republicans in the delegation and Cruz soured in light of the freshman’s frequent criticism of Senate GOP leaders; Cornyn is No. 2 in the leadership pecking order. Cruz appears to have the rockiest relationship with his delegation of the four GOP senators considering presidential runs, partly because he refused to endorse some of them during their own primary bids in last year’s midterms.

“Ted has an assorted relationship with the delegation, and he has found ways to not compliment the delegation, and that has placed him in a position where he could be a stand-alone,” said one Texas Republican lawmaker, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly.

Even those unwilling to criticize Cruz publicly aren’t showing any signs of warmth toward the Lone Star State senator.

“He’s going to run in a very tough, competitive race,” Texas Rep. Kevin Brady said. “I’ve been, frankly, so focused on tax reform and trade and health care issues up here that I’ll start paying more attention to the presidential race later.”