Rand Paul presidential campaign, 2016 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rand Paul for President
Campaign	U.S. presidential election, 2016
Candidate	Rand Paul U.S. Senator from Kentucky (2011–present)
Affiliation	Republican Party
Status	Announced April 7, 2015 Suspended February 3, 2016
Headquarters	P.O.Box 77681 Washington, D.C.
Key people	Chip Englander (Manager) Bryan Reed (Deputy Manager) Doug Stafford; Doug Wead(Senior Advisors) Mark Spitznagel (Economic Advisor) Sergio Gor (Communications) Eleanor May (Media) Vincent Harris (Digital)
Receipts	US$6,932,779 (2015-06-30)
Slogan	Defeat the Washington machine. Unleash the American dream.
Chant	Stand with Rand

The 2016 presidential campaign of Rand Paul was when Rand Paul, a U.S. Senator from Kentucky, tried to become the President of the United States. He officially announced his campaign on April 7, 2015, at an event in Louisville, Kentucky.

Getting Ready for the Campaign

Rand Paul was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. People started wondering if he would run for president as early as 2013.

Before he became a senator, Paul worked as an eye doctor in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He also started a group called Kentucky Taxpayers United. This group worked to make sure state lawmakers were careful with how they spent tax money.

Before he announced his presidential campaign, Paul gave several important speeches. One famous moment was when he spoke for a very long time (this is called a filibuster) to delay a vote on a new CIA Director. He also gave speeches at universities like Berkeley and Howard University. He met with community leaders in places like Ferguson, Missouri, and Detroit, Michigan. These meetings were seen as a way to get support from different groups of people for the Republican Party.

Towards the end of 2014, Paul started preparing for his presidential run. He hired staff in several states and set up offices. He also hired a campaign manager to help run his campaign. In January 2015, he gained support from Steve Munisteri, who was the chairman of the Republican Party in Texas.

Why the Campaign Ended

After the first big voting event, called the Iowa caucuses, Rand Paul did not get as much support as he hoped. His poll numbers (surveys of public opinion) were also low. Because of this, he decided to stop his campaign on February 3, 2016.

Images for kids

• 

  Rand Paul speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on March 14, 2013

• 

  Rand Paul speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on February 27, 2015.

• 

  Rand Paul at the launch of his presidential campaign at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 7, 2015

• 

  Senator Paul speaking at an event hosted by the Iowa Republican Party in October 2015.

• 

  Paul, and his wife Kelley, speaking at his presidential campaign's final campaign event on the night of the Iowa caucus.