Why Isn't Rand Paul Making a Data Deal With the GOP?

The libertarian's move could create a constant implied threat that he could run for president either inside the party or outside of it.

Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky and 2016 U.S. presidential candidate, listens during a news conference on the "Transparency for the Families of 9/11 Victims and Survivors Act of 2015" on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By Sasha Issenberg

July 24, 2015 at 9:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is living up to his promise to run for president as a “different kind of Republican.” His campaign appears to have decided that he can win the nomination without even basic help from party bosses, and that if he comes up short his loss should not serve to strengthen their infrastructure.

Several presidential candidates are likely to sign contracts allowing them to simultaneously receive voter profiles from both the Republican National Committee and i360, a rival data warehouse managed by the political network associated with Koch Industries. Paul, however, seems to be following a different path—one that will allow him to maintain full control of any data collected by his campaign or affiliated super-PAC and set up a distinct power base beyond 2016 entirely independent of the Republican Party.