Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is struggling to gain traction in New Hampshire, having fallen behind rivals rapidly where he was formerly riding high,
The Washington Post reported.
Paul is lagging in the polls in the Granite State. A
poll released Tuesday by Monmouth University of New Hampshire voters showed that Paul is tied for sixth place with just 5 percent support.
An
NBC-Marist poll of New Hampshire voters released Sunday put Paul tied for eighth place with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with just 5 percent support. Meanwhile, the
Real Clear Politics polling average has Paul in fifth place at 5.5 percent.
According to the Post, when asked about his faltering position in the polls, Paul told The Boston Globe, "[It] depends on which polls you look at, you know… We actually have many polls where we actually lead Hillary Clinton," he said.
"So I think actually that some of our polling news is actually pretty good."
Last fall, Paul was named "the most interesting man in politics" by Time magazine. Since then, however, he has seen his support slide.
His campaign aides insist that Donald Trump's entry into the race has affected the resonance of all candidates running for president.
"I think it's a long haul through all of this," Paul told the Post. "We anticipate being there and putting a lot of energy and effort into the debates. Hopefully, people will be watching. I've been to Iowa 20 times; I've been to New Hampshire probably 20 or 30 times. We keep doing all that."
Paul raised
$7 million in the second quarter of this year, 64 percent of which came from small donations of $200 or less.
His camp has suggested it is not concerned with his slow and steady pace, but he skipped two conservative Citizens United "freedom summits" in Iowa and South Carolina and is not due to attend the conservative RedState Gathering.
Some are growing concerned about his strategy.
"He needs to activate and get in front of as many conservatives as possible," David Bossie, president of Citizens United, told the Post. "There's an advantage in speaking to thousands of people in Iowa. There's advantage in getting in front of 2,000 people in the upstate of South Carolina. That's what we offered him. I totally respect his desire to do his own thing, but I think he made a mistake."
Nevertheless, his campaign insists it is on track to meet its objectives. Steve Grubbs, the Iowa director for Paul's campaign, said the goal was to get between 20 percent and 25 percent of the vote on caucus night. "Our organization is on track to reach its goals — on our timeline."
"Rand is well positioned because he's the boldest candidate in the field, with the boldest proposals and a plan to balance the budget in five years," Chip Englander, Paul's campaign manager, told the Post.
And for his part, Paul has just spent two days touring New Hampshire trying to persuade voters that he is most in tune with their priorities and highlighting his platform.
"Our goal is to finish not last," Stuart Jackson, Paul's regional director in New Hampshire, told the Post, though Paul struck a different tone while on his recent trip to the state: "I think we really need to win New Hampshire … And it's a really good shot for us."
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