The saga of Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky from this past year has been quite an interesting one, as he was running for the GOP presidential nomination as well as seeking reelection to the senate. Although he insisted that he was in the presidential race for the long run, Paul suspended his campaign after the Iowa caucuses, in which he finished in fifth place at a mere 4.5%. He suspended his campaign in order to focus on his senate reelection bid, as well as the fact that he didn’t feel that he had the amount of momentum needed to carry him to a strong finish in the following states. After a disappointing run at the White House this time around, one may be surprised to think that Senator Paul could and possibly would make another run for the Oval Office in 2020. But that’s just the question at hand here.

   One reason that indicates that Rand Paul could run again is looking back at his father’s presidential campaigns. Ron Paul, Rand’s father, ran for the Republican nomination for the presidency twice, both in 2008 and 2012. His 2008 campaign was largely unsuccessful, barely finishing above 10% in any of the caucuses or primaries, much like Rand’s 2016 campaign. But in 2012, Ron Paul had the name recognition to launch a much more successful campaign earning him strong finishes in many of the early caucus and primary states. Though he didn’t go on to win the nomination, Ron Paul was much more of a force to be dealt with, which would very likely be the case if Rand Paul were to run again in 2020.

   One thing that fueled Ron Paul’s success in 2012 was the youth vote, which was something that Rand Paul was counting on significantly in his 2016, though it proved to be unsuccessful. This is likely because much of the youth vote that went to Ron Paul in 2012 was stolen away by a different candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders, who really seemed to take the youth vote with three simple words, “free public college.” However, with the presence of Bernie Sanders in the 2020 election being extremely unlikely unless he is to be running for reelection, Paul could win back the youth vote come the 2020 election. The youth vote could be essential for a Rand Paul 2020 presidential campaign.

   Looking at the problems faced by Rand Paul this election season, part of it could be traced back to his senate reelection bid. However, this wouldn’t be a problem in 2020, with the senate elections only taking place every six years, Rand Paul wouldn’t be on the senate ballot again until 2022. Therefore, this would lead to Paul’s focus being solely on a presidential bid, with his main focus being on the White House as opposed to a senate seat.

   One of the things that set both of the Pauls aside from the rest of the Republicans is their libertarian, anti government views. However, the spotlight of the anti Washington Republican skipped over Rand Paul and onto two extremely conservative candidates, being Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. With it being unlikely for Donald Trump to run for president again in 2020, Rand Paul could regain the anti government, anti establishment vote, though if Cruz were to run again it would ignite a fierce battle battle for those votes. Though, it may be unlikely for Cruz to run for the presidency, with him being up for senate reelection in 2019.

   Nothing is for sure, but don’t forget the name Rand Paul. If he wins reelection into the senate, which he is heavily favored, don’t be surprised if you see Rand Paul on the Republican ballots for the 2020 primaries.