Rand Paul, ahead of next week’s Senate primary in North Carolina, is set to parachute on Monday into the Tar Heel State to stump for the libertarian-leaning candidate in the race.
An aide to the Kentucky Republican senator confirmed to The Daily Caller on Wednesday that Paul will travel to North Carolina to campaign for Greg Brannon ahead of Tuesday’s contest.
Brannon, a physician, is hoping to get into a run-off with State House Speaker Thom Tillis in the Republican primary. Tillis has the support of establishment Republicans, including including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
A candidate can avoid a runoff by reaching the 40-percent threshold in the primary, something Tillis’ supporters hopes will happen. A recent poll shows Tillis with 38 percent to Brannon’s 17 percent.
The winner of the GOP contest will go on to run against incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan, viewed as one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election this year.
Tuesday’s primary kicks off a month of competitive Senate primaries across the country, including contests in Nebraska, Georgia, Kentucky and Oregon in May.