In April thru June, I thought the guy would pick up some momentum and start making a real push for the nomination and would at least be a clear top 3 type candidate.
Now, it seems like he virtually disappeared from campaigning for most of the summer and appears to only be going through the motions.
Of all the candidates, his trajectory is the one that surprises me most.
I'm spit-balling here a bit, but I think there's a reason why he's stopped the full court press. Kentucky law prevents one from running for president and the senate contemporaneously. Even if he got the nomination, out of this crowded field he would basically have to forfeit his senate seat so it was "all or nothing" for him. And if he doesn't get the nomination, I think his internal polling has shown that his campaign was draining a bit of his support within the state for him to return to the senate. (I've seen some external polling which showed that his job approval rating in Kentucky was trending downward.) I think the guy has decided to hedge his bets, make certain he retains his senate seat and look forward to the next few terms to mount another couple of three of runs at the office. (He's still relatively young and could easily be in the picture for at least a solid 12 yrs.)
Now, it seems like he virtually disappeared from campaigning for most of the summer and appears to only be going through the motions.
Of all the candidates, his trajectory is the one that surprises me most.
I'm spit-balling here a bit, but I think there's a reason why he's stopped the full court press. Kentucky law prevents one from running for president and the senate contemporaneously. Even if he got the nomination, out of this crowded field he would basically have to forfeit his senate seat so it was "all or nothing" for him. And if he doesn't get the nomination, I think his internal polling has shown that his campaign was draining a bit of his support within the state for him to return to the senate. (I've seen some external polling which showed that his job approval rating in Kentucky was trending downward.) I think the guy has decided to hedge his bets, make certain he retains his senate seat and look forward to the next few terms to mount another couple of three of runs at the office. (He's still relatively young and could easily be in the picture for at least a solid 12 yrs.)
