Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky says GOP front-runner Donald Trump’s absence will bring up the “respectability” of Thursday’s presidential debate in Iowa, saying Mr. Trump is “running away” from the debate while Mr. Paul was lobbying to get on the main stage of the last one.

“I think that he has brought the debate, the presidential debate, the tenor of the debate to a historic low, and so yeah, I think it’s fine if he misses because it does bring up the respectability of the debate when you don’t have a guy that’s talking about things that really are inappropriate even in mixed company,” Mr. Paul said on CNN’s “New Day.”

Mr. Paul was also asked if Mr. Trump was “pulling a Rand Paul.” Mr. Paul opted to skip the last undercard debate after he didn’t qualify for the main, prime-time debate stage.

The senator said it was “kind of the opposite, actually.”

“I was lobbying to get in the debate, and he’s running away from the debate,” Mr. Paul said.

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