NASHUA, N.H. — He’s sliding in the polls, struggling to raise money — and now the only base he has left is starting to wobble.
Rand Paul returned to what should have been home turf on Friday when he appeared at the Republican Liberty Caucus, a gathering of libertarian activists in New Hampshire. And while he was a crowd favorite, there is an intensifying buzz around rival Ted Cruz, even from ideological purists still pining for Rand’s dad, Ron.
“Cruz is stronger, he’d have more spunk as president,” said Shirlene Van Doorne, 64, of Nashua, after the Texas senator delivered a rousing speech Friday morning, packed with libertarian themes he doesn’t often discuss. “With [Paul’s] father, it’s a different story. When he ran last time, he was more like Cruz, very strong.”
Both Cruz and Paul organized intensely for the event, which culminates in a straw poll Saturday night, and representatives for both candidates hovered around attendees with clipboards, urging them to vote. For Cruz, it’s the latest effort to encroach on Paul’s turf, a move that follows the roll-out of a libertarian-stacked team that includes people who backed Ron Paul in 2012.
And according to attendees, the strategy is working.
“Based on his morning speech, I like Cruz better and better all the time,” said Bob White, the chairman of the Florida chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Paul is his first choice for now, he said, but “Cruz scored points with me. I’m still torn.”
