Summary: Rand Paul has certainly traveled around to early primary and caucus states in years past, but his latest trip to Iowa marks perhaps the kickoff of the unofficial 2016 campaign process. Senator Paul may be the first prominent contender to headline a state GOP function in the crucial first in the nation caucus state. And he has other trips already scheduled for New Hampshire and South Carolina in the next four-to-six weeks. This weeks coverage update contains in-depth discussion about the issues, as Sen. Paul engages the Iowa media and meets with potential voters. This file also includes the Senator's remarks at the 2013 Iowa Republican Party Lincoln Dinner- a fertile ground to kickoff his early campaign activities, given the prominence of Ron Paul 2012 campaign activists within the state GOP. In other news, the Senator has again called out Hillary Clinton for her negligence in light of the latest testimony regarding the State Department's failures in Benghazi. The Senator also continues the trend of moving much more towards the supposed center on issues this writer would never had expected. And this rhetoric has not gone unnoticed! Links to the original media sources are included in the file description; included audio can be heard in the order listed below: (0:00) KET's Bill Goodman and his guests- Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY)- discuss the 113th Congress and issues of the day on Kentucky Tonight. (5/6) (55:18) U. S. Senator Rand Paul speaks with Iowa Public Radio Host Ben Kieffer about his views on immigration reform, drones, and bridging the warring factions within the GOP. Analysis and listener calls follow. (5/8) (1:34:55) Newradio 1040 WHO's (Des Moines, IA) Simon Conway has a conversation with Senator Rand Paul about Benghazi, more. (5/8) (1:54:19) Rand Paul is Lars Larson's odds on favorite for the 2016 Presidential Race, and he shows why in this interview.... Audio archived at SoundCloud. (5/10) (2:06:19) Rand Paul visits Private Home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Video compliments of YouTube User: Ajai Dittmar. (5/10) (2:15:08) Rand Paul’s news conference in Cedar Rapids; audio archived at Radio Iowa. (5/10) (2:51:10) GOP DINNER: Sen. Rand Paul In Iowa - Sam Hoyle reports for WHOTV.com (NBC - Des Moines). (5/10) (2:52:45) Steve Deace is getting fed up with Rand's Act: 'Rand Paul gives an interview in our home state…and Karl Rove’s words come out!' (5/10) (3:10:44) Senator Paul's speech at Iowa GOP Lincoln Day Dinner - Video archive at C-Span. (5/10) (3:35:20) Rand Paul 2016? Republican Raises Profile With Eye On Election. Video coverage at HuffPost Live. (5/10)
