Libertarian stalwart Ron Paul, a former congressman and three-time presidential candidate, will for the first time join his son Sen. Rand Paul on the 2016 campaign trail in Iowa Jan. 31. The two will host "The Revolution Continues Rally" at the University of Iowa, just one day before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, reported CBS News.
"Together they will focus on energizing the youthful base by discussing the importance of protecting the entire Bill of Rights and being boldly for conservative ideals that limit the powers of the Washington Machine," said Rand's campaign in a statement. "Rand's unique message of liberty can unite Constitutional conservatives, young voters and independent voters, which will lead to a successful showing on caucus night."
Ron gained a cult-like following of young supporters during his bids for White House. He was the Libertarian Party presidential nominee in 1988, and a Republican Party candidate in 2008 and 2012, running on constitutionalist themes such as auditing the Federal Reserve and limiting the size of government, according to the Washington Times. He finished fifth in Iowa in 2008 and third in 2012.
The younger Paul has attempted to draw support from his father's backers while at the same time appealing to a larger audience, but his campaign has failed to gain much traction in national polls or those from the Hawkeye State, hovering around 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
His father told Newsmax TV Wednesday that Donald Trump could realistically win the GOP nomination due to rigged polls, which he said are only good for their entertainment value.
"At this point, it certainly is realistic," he said, but cautioned, "If I had a limited sum of money... I probably wouldn't invest a whole lot."
He continued: "All this talk for this last year and a half and there hasn't even been a vote cast. It's all been done by polling, which for the most part is generally rigged. They pick people, they boost them up, it's entertainment, and Trump really fit into that quite well. It's entertainment the major networks control."
However, Ron stressed that his son could surprise everyone with his performance in the caucus states: "I think he may well surprise everyone, because he has a good organization and caucus states are different. That's where we always did well."
