Ron Paul: ‘Pretty obvious’ Rand preparing for presidential run

Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) says it is “pretty obvious” that his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), is preparing for a presidential run.

{mosads}”I think it probably wouldn’t surprise more people if he didn’t run after the, you know, it’s pretty obvious when people are sort of preparing,” Paul said on Newsmax TV in a video posted Friday. “If he does, I’m sure he’ll make an excellent candidate.”

The elder Paul, a former presidential candidate himself, did say that ultimately he does not know if his son will run.

“I guess we’ll wait and see,” he said. “I guess I don’t have the answer to that. I think I read the papers that you read.”

The younger Paul has said he will make a decision in March or April. However, he has given strong signals that he is preparing a run. He gathered senior advisers to discuss strategy last month and nabbed Vince Harris, the digital strategist who once worked for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a possible presidential rival. 

Asked by TV host Larry King in October whether he was encouraging his son to run, Paul said, “Not really.”

“And I have mixed feelings about it because I know what is entailed and how much punishment he gets,” he added. “It always annoys me that he has to suffer some of the consequences because of something I said or did.”

But he added: “I think it’s great that he’s doing it.”