Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump previews SCOTUS nominee as 'totally brilliant' Rand Paul says he can't judge 'guilt or innocence' in Breonna Taylor case Overnight Health Care: Health officials tell public to trust in science | Despair at CDC under Trump influence | A new vaccine phase 3 trial starts MORE (R-Ky.) is endorsing fellow libertarian former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson Gary Earl JohnsonWhat the numbers say about Trump's chances at reelection Presidential race tightens in Minnesota as Trump plows resources into state The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden condemns violence, blames Trump for fomenting it l Bitter Mass. primaries reach the end l Super PAC spending set to explode MORE in his Senate bid in the state.

Paul is throwing his weight behind Johnson, instead of his Republican competitor Mick Rich, the Kentucky senator announced in a news release Tuesday, The Associated Press reports.

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Johnson’s supporters have been pressuring Rich to drop out of the race against Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich Martin Trevor HeinrichSenate Democrats demand White House fire controversial head of public lands agency Senate Democrats seek removal of controversial public lands head after nomination withdrawal Five takeaways from final Senate Intel Russia report MORE. Tuesday is the final day for candidates to withdraw their names from the general election ballot.

As fellow libertarians, Paul and Johnson share similar sentiments on limited government.

An Emerson College e-poll conducted with a small sample size of 500 registered voters showed Johnson leading Rich among Republicans.

Johnson led a failed campaign for president in the 2016 election, earning him big name recognition, and previously served as New Mexico’s governor in the late '90s and early 2000s.

Marg Elliston, the chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party, said in a statement Tuesday that Paul's endorsement of Johnson was unsurprising.

“Rand Paul is the least surprising DC endorsement Gary Johnson could get," she said. "Both put on a big show about their so-called independence, but at the end of the day, both are rubber stamps for the extreme agenda of today’s Republican Party. We know both would vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and both want to gut the types of programs that help New Mexico families thrive.”

--Updated at 7:23 p.m.