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Englander to run Rand Paul’s campaign

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Illinois

* US Sen. Rand Paul has tapped Bruce Rauner’s campaign manager Chip Englander as his own presidential campaign manager…

In an interview Tuesday, Englander argued that Paul’s unconventional positions would lay the foundation for a potent Republican coalition. Paul has articulated mostly non-interventionist views on foreign policy, while taking hardline stances against tax hikes and President Obama’s health-care law domestically. […]

Englander, 33, who spent much of his early career working in California politics, last year managed Republican Bruce Rauner’s campaign for governor in Illinois, guiding the wealthy businessman through a competitive primary and then to a decisive win in the general election - in part by outpacing Democrats in some urban areas and steering clear of hot-button social issues.

Stafford cited the work of Englander in helping Rauner win a blue state where Republicans have had scattered success as a key reason why Rand Paul settled on him. He also focused on Englander’s management of Rauner’s sprawling network of volunteers and a campaign budget of nearly $70 million. […]

Englander said in the interview, “We built 83 offices and got together 10,000 volunteers and knocked on millions of doors. Some politicians run campaigns from television studios. That’s not the way I do things, and that’s not the way you win.” […]

In a memo being shared with Paul’s donors and allies, Englander is being touted as the Republican who engineered a victory in a state “Obama won by 25%” and “drew in new types of voters to win the state, including winning a majority of moderates, unprecedented for a Republican.”

* Like Rauner, Paul has openly and eagerly courted African-American votes…

“He’s a different voice in the arena that we don’t traditionally hear,” says Lorraine Miller, acting head of the NAACP, who expects to invite Paul to speak at the organization’s July national conference in Las Vegas.

* The Paul campaign tightly controlled the rollout. Tribune…

Chip Englander, currently a senior adviser during Rauner’s move into the governor’s office, would not discuss the move on the record with the Tribune on Tuesday. But Englander provided an interview with The Washington Post in which he lauded Paul’s campaign skills.

I developed a healthy respect for Englander over the course of the past year. He grew from a brash outsider with a distinct chip on his shoulder (pardon the pun), to a competent, even visionary professional who also put together one heckuva team.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 9:49 am

Comments

Congrats to Chip. A great guy who did a great job. Best of luck to him.

Comment by winner Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 9:56 am
Say it ain’t so Rahm paul.

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 9:57 am
Paul is an interesting candidate. I imagine he’ll be one of the last ones standing for the GOP nod after the shakeout of the 16 or so making preliminary moves.

Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:00 am
The early campaign strategy of Rauner (avoiding taking a stance on the social issues) made me think that Rauner didn’t have a chance of surviving the GOP state primary. I was wrong. The results speak for themselves. Rand Paul is a results driven candidate who (with Chip Englander by his side) will prove to be a more formidable GOP candidate than many of the other GOP presidential contenders anticipate him to be.

Comment by Rowdy Yates Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:03 am
Wonder if Paul will launch a nationwide petition campaign supporting a popular change, that’s not legally subject to change by petition.

That disgrace aside, Englander earned his win and this promotion.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:08 am
Rauner had an interesting mix of “da yutes”, Tea Party, and regular local party support. His support among the Tea Party may stick, but will the local GOP party support him for the primary?

Comment by Toure's Latte Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:21 am
God help us…

Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:25 am
Isn’t this the same Rand Paul that has been caught on tape rejecting the constitutional legitimacy of the Civil Rights Act from 1964?

Comment by Jorge Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:30 am
Step one: http://www.carhartt.com

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM (@MisterJayEm) Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:33 am
Rauner partially won by default, it was more Quinn LOST support from traditional areas such as union members, public retirees, teachers and state workers. While many of them didn’t actually vote for Rauner, they stayed home on election day.

Comment by DuPage Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:42 am
Good luck with that.

Comment by too obvious Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:45 am
Winner, your good wishes aside, why do I have a feeling you’ll be voting for crispy cream.

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:46 am
The last thing we need is another president with only senate experience.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:47 am
==Rauner partially won by default, it was more Quinn LOST support from traditional areas such as union members, public retirees, teachers and state workers. While many of them didn’t actually vote for Rauner, they stayed home on election day.==

I understand your point, but at the same time it should’ve recognized that Rauner got the most votes by GOP candidate since Edgar in 94, and more than anyone since then except Blago in 2002, who got only a few thousand more.

Comment by Anonymoiis Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:57 am
==The last thing we need is another president with only senate experience.==

I doubt we’ll have to worry about Rand Paul actually becoming president. Just throwin’ that out there.

Comment by Roamin' Numeral Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:57 am
Figured he’d put Romney in a Carhartt and guide him to a third resounding defeat.

Comment by Mittuns Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:58 am
I like Englander’s front door approach vs. TV media dominance, especially with today’s defused media and fractured electorate. Motivating voters to actually vote is becoming more and more important.

Rand Paul could very well be a contender in the Republican primary with knock-out punch potential against an ultimate insider like Clinton.

Comment by Louis Howe Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 10:58 am
I wish him well and hope he has a long career in Kentucky and/or Washington, DC.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 11:01 am
Glad Chip won the last one, hope he loses the next one.

Comment by Jaded Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 11:02 am
I’m not sure that it is so much that Rauner won the election as much that Quinn lost it. It has been noted on here numerous times that votes were gained by Rauner as a means of protesting Quinn. We will never know, but I would imagine that any GOP candidate that had ran against Quinn would have received the same type of “anti-Quinn” vote. I don’t know what that means for Rand Paul, but looking at Illinois as a beacon for how to do things politically is FAR from a good idea.

Comment by East Central Illinois Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 11:04 am
ECI -

Senator Brady had strong national headwinds behind him as well as a very well-organized victory campaign that included a push by the RNC, NRSC and NRCC to help takeover the Illinois Congressional Delegation and elect Mark Kirk as U.S. Senator. He could not pull it all together and lost. So even though some of Rauner’s votes were “anti-Quinn” votes, give Governor Rauner some credit.

Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 11:25 am
It’s about time for some new blood to work on and manage big campaigns. The same names have been running the campaigns for candidates of both parties but especially Rs for years. Yawn. Congrats Chip.

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 11:26 am
I wonder if Rand Paul has resigned his Senate seat so that he can legally run for president, under Kentucky law?

Comment by Aldyth Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 12:01 pm
Grats to him, wish him the best.

Comment by liandro Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 2:52 pm
Lol

Geez.

So a guy (Rauner) who didn’t say anything during the primary but give out red meat to the base had his wife on TV 24/7 commercials for months on end….and beat Dillard by 4 points.

Then he goes up against arguably the least popular Governor in the country, spends what 20, 30 million dollars of his own, in a huge Republican year….and beats Quinn (32% approval rating) by 4 points.

and Rich along with others think its because in part at least Chip?

That’s fellas for the laugh on this cold day.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 5:01 pm
“Paul has articulated mostly non-interventionist views on foreign policy, while taking hardline stances against tax hikes and President Obama’s health-care law domestically.”

So you’ve got one policy stance that’s actively harmful, one that’s partisan red meat, and one that voters may or may not care about at all.

Sound like a winning recipe to me.

Comment by Odysseus Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 6:53 pm
A second class intellect (actually maybe a third class intellect, he is no policy wonk) but a first class temperament.

Comment by ZC Wednesday, Jan 14, 15 @ 8:31 pm
Does Rand have $100M to drop on his campaign?

Comment by low level Thursday, Jan 15, 15 @ 7:49 am