POLITICO: Benton Indictment Could Impact Rand's Senate Re-Election Bid

With Rand Paul nosediving in the presidential campaign polls, news that Jesse Benton, who is the major money raiser for Rand's  America’s Liberty PAC, has been indicted by the Justice Department is not good news for Rand.

Politico speculates it may even impact Rand's Senate re-election bid:

The indictment is the latest blow to the Paul universe in a week that’s already left the libertarian-tilted candidate on his heels. Paul has badly lagged his rivals in fundraising...POLITICO reported last week that sinking morale and disarray have led some Paul advisers to consider bailing for other campaigns.
Though the indictments don’t touch directly on a member of Paul’s campaign staff, Benton is an undeniable force in the Paul universe. And Paul maintained close ties with him even after details about the Sorenson scandal began seeping out of closed-door investigations over the past two years...

America’s Liberty PAC...the one super PAC that’s been sanctioned by the Paul campaign, and on its website it describes itself as the “only Super PAC endorsed by Senator Paul.”

The fresh headlines of the scandal, which came one day before the first Republican debate, could impact not only Paul’s presidential ambitions, but also his reelection bid for his Senate seat. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Wednesday blasted out a story on the indictment with the subject line “Hey Rand, We’ll See You When You Drop Out Of The Presidential Race!”..

  -RW