Rand Paul gears up for 2016

RANDPAC, the Kentucky senator’s political action committee, announced that it hired John Yob, a prominent Republican consultant, to be its national political director and chief strategist in Yob’s native Michigan.

The hire is a big get for the libertarian-leaning presidential hopeful. Yob has cut an unorthodox political course, working for John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid and playing a key role on Rick Santorum’s campaign after the former Pennsylvania senator’s surprise win in the Iowa caucuses.

Adding Yob to his team gives Paul instant credibility in Michigan, which traditionally holds relatively early primaries and where Mitt Romney’s win in February 2012 marked the beginning of the end of the Republican nomination process that year. Yob also brings another advantage to the Paul campaign. He is one of the most respected delegate counters in the GOP and gives Paul a big advantage of the 2016 GOP primary comes down to a scramble for delegates.