#LibertyKaraoke Raises 1,000 Volunteers, Big Bucks for Rand Paul

[William Tell]

#LibertyKaraoke Raises 1,000 Volunteers, Big Bucks for Rand Paul

AUSTIN, Texas — Tuesday evening after Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) announced he was running for president, dozens of “#LibertyKaraoke” events all across the country helped the new candidate recruit hundreds of volunteers and kickstart his campaign fundraising.

Liberty Karaoke was originally conceived as a casual fundraiser targeted to young libertarians, to gather regularly for karaoke, network with other like-minded friends, and make online donations to liberty-oriented candidates. The concept had successfully raised thousands of dollars for Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), but Paul’s entrance into the presidential race inspired supporters to take what had been a weekly gathering at O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub in Arlington, Virginia, into a national, headline-making event.

Matthew Hurtt, who founded Liberty Karaoke about five years ago, told Breitbart News that all together, there were at least 65 events Tuesday evening in 38 different states. “I’m excited that it’s grown into such a successful event,” he said, adding that he was “proud of the work so many people did on the ground to make each of these events unique… I’m certain last night’s events won’t be the last of #LibertyKaraoke.”

“I hope Republicans take notice,” continued Hurtt, referring to how the event was able to channel young people’s enthusiasm into fundraising efforts. Liberty Karaoke does not bundle money or collect funds themselves; instead, attendees and supporters were encouraged to donate online or purchase campaign merchandise directly through Paul’s website. Because of this, it is impossible to determine what percentage of donations to Paul came from Liberty Karaoke attendees, but they no doubt played a part in the over one million dollars Paul raised in his first twenty-four hours as a candidate. Hurtt himself tweeted a screenshot of his own donation:

Hurtt also told Breitbart News that all together, Liberty Karaoke organizers counted more than 1,000 attendees nationwide. Each event asked supporters to sign up to volunteer for Paul, so the campaign just gained hundreds of young, enthusiastic volunteers in cities throughout the country.


Breitbart News stopped by the Liberty Karaoke event in Austin at Ego’s on South Congress. Attendees there typified the young, libertarian-minded supporters that have been attracted to Paul’s candidacy and his father’s before him. Several mentioned having supported former Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) as the reason they first checked out the son, like James Benefico, who described himself as a “hardcore libertarian” who was supporting Paul “because he’s Ron’s son.” Paul was the “next best” to his father, said Benefico, a Connecticut native who moved to Austin four years ago, praising his ability to “reach out across to other demographics.”

Continue:http://www.breitbart.com/big-govern...ises-1000-volunteers-big-bucks-for-rand-paul/

 

[kbs021]

Great news! Glad to hear that this did well! This is the kind of stuff that propelled Ron to great heights. This is just the beginning.