Weigel: How Rand Paul Won in Kentucky

At the Washington Post, David Weigel provides his explanation for how Rand Paul was able to win the Kentucky Senate primary:

Yes, Paul rode a wave of voter anger and tea party enthusiasm and won over Republican voters who wanted to register their disgust at the political establishment in both parties. But a lot of candidates have tried to do that this year. Paul got in early, and organized early.

I remember attending the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot in April of 2009 and seeing, to my surprise, Paul volunteers working the crowd, getting signatures for him to make the ballot. And I remember seeing Paul, in early interviews and debates, distance himself from the hard-line libertarian positions, like drug legalization and the war on terror, that soured Republican voters on his father.

Paul's victory came after a year of smoothing over the difference between libertarians and conservatives. His first TV ad stated opposition to the closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He sought, and won, the endorsement of conservatives who are anathema to some libertarians -- Dr. James Dobson, Sarah Palin.

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