Will NH Ron Paul Supporters Stand with Rand Paul?

They turned out in force to back his father in 2012.

Now, as they look ahead to the 2016 presidential election, Granite State liberty groups, Tea Partiers, small business leaders and several prominent Libertarian and Republican politicians are eyeing Rand Paul to fill the void likely to be left by his father, Ron Paul, who finished a strong second behind Mitt Romney in New Hampshire's First-in-the-Nation primary vote.

Filibuster or Political Bluster?

Though he received his share of criticism from fellow Republicans, Randal Howard Paul, better known as "Rand," made headlines in recent weeks by taking a stand against potential domestic drone strikes with a roughly 13-hour filibuster on the U.S. Senate floor during the nomination of John Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

It was certainly impressive to Jane Aitken, a New Hampshire Tea Party leader, who first introduced the elder Paul to about 500 of her friends in 2007, raising the first $10,000 for his 2008 presidential campaign, which she then helped kick off with the late Kent Snyder. She firmly backed Ron Paul in his 2012 run as well.

"Rand Paul scored points with the liberty community by virtue of his recent anti-drone filibuster," said Aitken. "Whether Rand Paul gains the same popularity as his father, or enough momentum across all factions of the center-right to be able to run a viable presidential campaign, remains to be seen and depends largely on his other positions as they play out with regard to foreign aid, the monetary system, and other pro-freedom concerns."

Regardless of all of Paul's policies, former New Hampshire state Rep. Seth Cohn, a Ron Paul supporter, said the 50-year-old junior U.S. senator from Kentucky displayed the backbone required of a commander in chief.

"Rand Paul understands how to be politically effective, as his recent
filibuster showed," said Cohn. "I don't always agree with him on policy, but I'd support him in a run for President. Certainly, he's one of the best
the GOP has to offer."

Free Market Economics

Paul, a self-described "constitutional conservative," spent a good deal of time traveling and campaigning with and for his father in the Granite State during the 2012 primary race.

Andy Sanborn is one of the many prominent local politicians who became acquainted with the younger Paul.

A state senator from Bedford who owns The Draft Sports Bar and Grill in Concord, Sanborn was a founder – along with Rep. Keith Murphy, proprietor of Murphy's Taproom in Manchester – of the NH Employers for Ron Paul Coalition, which was formed to "organize business support for an end to the nation’s ongoing debt, fiscal, and economic crises."

Sanborn said he was able to get to know the younger Paul well during the primary process and though he says the two never broached the subject of a potential 2016 presidential run, Sanborn said he's confident Paul will support and promote small business growth in the same manner his father has displayed over the years.

"Being a guy with traditional New Hampshire Yankee values, especially in regard to personal freedoms, liberty and a common-sense approach to government, both Dr. Paul and Rand share those same types of ideals," said Sanborn. "Both men understand that markets work best when free, that capitalism actually works and that the key to solving most of our economic problems is by letting the small business community go out and work to expand our economic base."

'Playing Politics in a Whole Different Way'

Kathy Peterson of Nashua, who was extremely active in supporting Ron Paul in 2011 and 2012, said her fingers are crossed that Rand picks up his father's mantle. In fact, she believes Rand may represent the perfect storm in bringing Republicans and Libertarians together.

"We are really hoping (Rand) does run in 2016 as he has the support of both the mainstream GOP Republicans and the young high-energy passionate libertarian leaning Republicans," said Peterson, "so together we will cinch the Presidential run next time and just in the nick of time." 

Katelynn Castiglione certainly understands Peterson's sense of urgency.

The 21-year-old vice president of the University of New Hampshire at Manchester chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty – the nation's largest "liberty-minded" college student organization, which started the "Stand with Rand" campaign – said the time is now to save the United States from politics as usual.

"I just hope Americans recognize that the true divide in this country should be over power versus liberty, not Republican vs. Democrat. That is what we are doing with Young Americans for Liberty, breaking the left vs. right paradigm and just focusing on liberty, because both parties are wrong," said Castiglione. "But I think many Conservatives are waking up to the police state, hopefully they will transform away from the "McCain, neo-conservatism, interventionist, Machiavellian belief."

Like many other Americans, especially those who she said support the U.S. Constitution, Castignlione said she was glued to the television watching Paul attack "the leviathan right" from the senate floor during his "historic filibuster."

"I won’t tell someone who they should vote for, because I lost faith in the politics. It is not about who will gain power next. It’s about getting government control out of people’s lives, one step at a time. Government should fear the people," said Castiglione. "There’s no doubt that Ron Paul started the liberty movement and paved the way for Rand. 

"Rand is playing politics in a whole different way."