Rand Paul building national network, courting mainstream …

The younger Pauls nationwide organization, which counts more than 200 people, includes new supporters who have previously funded more traditional Republicans, along with longtime libertarian activists. Paul, of Kentucky, has been courting Wall Street titans and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who donated to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush and Mitt Romney, attending elite conclaves in Utah and elsewhere along with other GOP hopefuls.

For the rest of this year, his national teams chief duties will be to take the lead in their respective states in planning fundraisers and meet-ups and helping Pauls Washington-based advisers get a sense of where support is solid and where its not. This is essential in key early primary battlegrounds, such as Iowa and New Hampshire, and in areas rich in GOP donors, such as Dallas and Chicago.

A national leadership team is an important step, and its a critical one for the movement going forward, said Fritz Wenzel, Pauls pollster. Rand has tremendous momentum, and the formation of this team will guide him as he gets closer to a decision and [will] serve as a foundation for a campaign.

A growing number of Republicans have started to consider presidential runs. Aides to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) are sketching out how possible bids could look and keeping tabs on donors and potential staffer members. Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former congressman Rick Santorum (Pa.), a distant runner-up to Romney in the 2012 race for the GOP nomination, have been wooing conservative leaders.

Christie, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich were in Las Vegas on Thursday to attend the spring meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition and to talk to Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate who spent more than $92million on the 2012 campaigns.

At this early point, Paul is consistently at or near the top in polling. A CNN/ORC International survey this month found that 16percent of Republicans and independents who lean Republican were likely to support the senator, putting him at the front of the Republican field. Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee, was second, at 15percent.

Pauls leadership team is set up as part of Rand Paul Victory, a group that pools donations. It is a joint committee that overlaps the fundraising efforts of Rand PAC, Pauls political action committee, and Rand Paul 2016, his Senate campaign, and his aides describe it as the basis for a presidential campaign.

There are people in every state who have joined Team Paul, with the money people ready to go, said Mallory Factor, a consultant and South Carolina Republican who has worked with Paul to expand the senators footprint.

Kevin Madden, a former adviser to Romney and House Republican leaders, said the development of a national network was a notable moment in pre-primary positioning.

This framework of supporters is an important building block in the architecture required to build a competitive national campaign, Madden said. What looks like just a name is often someone who knows local reporters, has a fundraising network or has an ability or history of organizing party activists.

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Rand Paul building national network, courting mainstream ...