Rand Paul Refuses to Concede Defeat

By nearly every measure, Rand Paul had a bad night Monday in Iowa, but he’s hardly ready to throw in the towel.

With a goal of getting 10,000 voters to caucus and only getting less than 8,500, the Paul camp instead focused on the fact their candidate finished in the top five, beating out Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich. They also pointed out he beat the last two Iowa Caucus winners.

“The voters spoke for the first time, and they showed that they believe everyone in our country should have the liberty to make the most of their lives, not just the well-connected and the political establishment,” the campaign said in a press release issued Monday night. “Whether the issue is constitutional government, a balanced budget, a rational foreign policy or preserving the entire Bill of Rights for all citizens, Rand Paul is the only one standing up for conservatives and liberty-loving Americans.”

Rather than ascribing to the notion that the race for the GOP nomination has come down to three men—U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), businessman Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)—the Paul camp has declared “the race for the White House is wide open.” He has continued to call on ABC News, which will host the next Republican debate, and the Republican National Committee to make sure he’s on the debate stage next weekend in New Hampshire.

“Every election we are told by the party establishment that the times are too dire or risky to try freedom as a solution,” Paul said in an official statement released by his campaign. “They say that the message of liberty and personal responsibility must wait until next election. But tonight, the people of Iowa proved that the time is now. We have never been more hungry for personal freedom and a restrained government. I’m grateful to my supporters here in the Hawkeye state, and I look forward to continuing the fight for liberty in New Hampshire.”