Senator Rand Paul holds town hall one week before Kentucky caucu - WDRB 41 Louisville News

LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) –  (R) Senator Rand Paul is out of the presidential race, but it was his influence that led Kentucky to a caucus instead of the traditional primary.

“It's bittersweet,” Paul said at a town hall meeting Saturday afternoon in Shelbyville. “I worked very hard. I put forth my best effort. I think in some ways I brought a lot of attention to Kentucky and the issues that affect us.”

However, some of those candidates still left in the race are working to get Kentucky republicans on their team. Ben Carson is headed to Lexington on Monday and frontrunner Donald Trump, fresh on the heels of an endorsement from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, will be in Louisville on Tuesday.

Byron Fischer, the Jefferson County Republican Party executive director, credits those visits to switching from a primary to a caucus.

“It is exciting to be able to have a say and be relevant in the nomination process,” he said. “It's not something that we're used to.”

Back in August, it was announced that Kentucky would switch from a Republican primary to caucus. It allowed Paul to run for both the presidency and a senate seat. Paul also backed the plan financially, but now that he has dropped out of the presidential race, he wants little to do with it.

“You know, I'm just going to stay out of what’s left,” Paul said. “I kind of said my piece, and now that I'm no longer active in the race, it's best for me to stay neutral.”

For voters, next Saturday won’t be much different in terms of what is required of them.

“There will be the opportunity to talk to campaign representatives,” Fischer said. “Beyond that it will be very similar, you show your ID, you get your ballot, you vote, you leave.”

However, most Kentucky counties will only have one location where caucus voting is held. Jefferson County will have nine different locations. For information on where you need to vote, CLICK HERE.

Paul said Saturday he will not endorse any Republican candidates ahead of the caucus, but said he will support whomever the Republican nominee is in the general election.

“This has been a surprising presidential election to say the least,” Paul said. 

Related:

Trump stumps in Louisville on Super Tuesday

Presidential candidate Ben Carson to make campaign stop in Kentucky

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