Sen. Rand Paul picked up a key endorsement in the early primary state of South Carolina on Monday, when Rep. Mick Mulvaney announced he’d be a co-chairman of Paul’s campaign in the Eastern states.
It’s a big get for the Kentucky Republican as his campaign continues to struggle in the low single digits in the polls, and his recent debate performances have been seen as lackluster.
Mulvaney is also the only member of the South Carolina delegation in the House to make an endorsement so far, though South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is also running for the Republican nomination against Paul.
It’s also a show of force for Paul against fellow candidate Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who also appeals to tea party, libertarian and smaller government voter that Paul is courting.
Mulvaney is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers who have clashed with party leadership.
Cruz has also courted the Freedom Caucus to orchestrate the funding fight that caused the last government shutdown in 2013 and the current battle risking another shutdown this fall.
“Rand has proven himself as a conservative outsider unafraid to take on the Washington establishment,” Mulvaney said in a statement. “I look forward to spending some time with him in South Carolina and working to spread his message of small government and fiscal conservatism.”
In an interview with The Washington Post about the endorsement, Mulvaney said Paul was a clear choice over Cruz.
“I’ve seen both of them work,” Mulvaney told the Post. “When I see Ted — it’s almost as if Ted thinks if you yell loud enough and give a dramatic speech, it’s going to solve things, and I just don’t think that’s the way the world works. Here’s the other thing I see out on the trail. Both Rick Perry and Rand Paul came to help me in the last cycle. … Ted is not bringing anybody new into the party. Rand is.”
In his own statement, Paul called Mulvaney a friend and touted their similar politics.
“Since taking office in 2010, Congressman Mulvaney and I have grown to be personal friends, as we are both staunch defenders of the Bill of Rights,” Paul said in a statement. “I admire his conservative leadership in the House of Representatives and together, I know we can defeat the Washington Machine by restoring fiscal sanity, the Bill of Rights, and regulatory restraint.”