U.S. Sen. Rand Paul stumps in Havre in support of Rosendale

High-profile U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined a group of other prominent Republicans - including President Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. - campaigning in Montana when he spoke to more than 90 people in Havre Sunday in the Duck Inn's Vineyard Room in support of Republican Montana Auditor Matt Rosendale in his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

"It's not any ol' Republican we want, we want a conservative," Paul said. "We want someone who believes in the Constitution. We want someone who will frankly stand up when Republicans do the wrong things."

Rosendale is challenging U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in his bid for a third term in the Senate.

The race, rated a toss up today by RealClearPolitics.com, with the latest poll average giving Tester a lead of 4.5 percent, has been a highly visible race in the Democrat's attempt to take control of the Senate, with the Republicans trying to keep their two-senator lead.

A variety of major Republicans have been to the state multiple times, with Trump Jr. back in Montana over the weekend, former Fox News broadcaster Kimberly Guilfoyle, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., scheduled to campaign for Rosendale Wednesday in Bozeman and the political newspaper The Hill reporting President Trump is scheduled to be back in Montana for the fourth time this week.

Editor's note: Watch for an interview with Paul in Tuesday's edition of the Havre Daily News.

Paul told the crowd Sunday that people come to the West, and always have come to the west, to be left alone.

"We don't need the big oppressive bureaucracy of Washington telling us what to do," Paul said. "What you need is someone who will defend Montana from outsiders telling you what to do."

Paul said Tester has never been in Washington, D.C., for Montanans except to further a liberal agenda. An agenda, he added, that only wants to give "special rights" to "special groups" of people opposed to the rights of the individuals in the country.

"It's in his voting record," Paul said.

Tester campaign spokesperson Chris Meagher said in an email to the Havre Daily News that Paul is joining a group of people who seem to think out-of-state values apply to Montana.

"Add Sen. Paul to the long list of out-of-state special interests like his fellow Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell who are all-in for insurance commissioner Matt Rosendale. Sen. Paul and commissioner Rosendale are longtime advocates for the transferring of federal lands, privatizing Social Security and gutting federal funding for public education. That might work in Kentucky and Maryland, but it is a non-starter in Montana."

Paul said Sunday Tester's voting record is a problem because governments should not be concerned with special groups of people but or other basic individual rights.

"Everybody's the same," Paul said. "I don't care what color you are, I don't care what religion you are, I don't care what you do in your house, everybody gets the same rights."

Paul said he doesn't want special rights for special groups of people, just as he shouldn't have special rights compared to them because people should have the same rights.

"The Democrats used to be, at one time, the party of the working class," Paul said. "But if you don't care about what the working class pays in taxes, you don't care about the regulations that are pressing the business that the working class works for, you can't really care that much about the working man and that's sort of what's happened over time."

Government is not about redistributing rights and property to others, Paul said, but assuring that the individual is not cheated or taken advantage of.

If people work hard, he added, the country is the ultimate meritocracy, a country that is controlled by people based off their abilities.

"Doing your job isn't transferring things from one to another," Paul said. "I think the best way to remember this is the way Barry Goldwater put it in 'The Conscience of a Conservative'. He wrote that, 'If I'm accused of neglecting my constituents' interests, I would tell them that I was informed that their chief interests is liberty and in that cause I will not forget them. I will not forget their liberty, I will do everything in my power to make sure that we stay a free and prosperous country.' I think Matt will do that. I will continue to strive to do that."

He said the race is very close and everyone needs to get out and work to get Rosendale elected and "make sure on that day your friends vote," Paul said, adding, Montana is a " closely divided state."

He added that he is not supporting Rosendale because he is a Republican but because he believes Rosendale can stand up to others in Congress and assure that the nation will have a balanced budget.

"Matt Rosendale can win," Paul said. "He's a great candidate, please help him."

Rosendale said Paul is a "champion for liberty, a champion for freedom, a champion for the U.S. Constitution," and he was glad to have him in Havre.

Rosendale said Montana is ready for a senator in Washington, D.C., who will help the president keep tax cuts in place, secure the country's southern border, uphold the rule of law in the country and confirm constitutionally conservative judges in the U.S. Supreme Court.

He said the state constitution has a provision which says that there needs to be a balanced budget for state government spending.

Rosendale said that since Tester has been in Congress he has failed to keep that attitude.

"Jon Tester came up here and stood before you 12 years ago and complained about reckless spending in Washington, D.C.," Rosendale said. "Since that time he's increased the national debt from $8 trillion to $21 trillion. He increased the debt ceiling 11 times."

"Jon stood before you and said he would not be encumbered by special interests," Rosendale said. "Since that time he has the dubious honor of becoming the No. 1 recipient of contributions from lobbyists in the nation. ... That is not what we need representing us in Washington, D.C."

Rosendale said that since he has been the state auditor he reduced the operating costs of the office by 23 percent. He added that last year, while the state Legislature held a special session due to a budget shortfall, he was the only elected official in the state who declined a wage increase.

"That's how you run government," Rosendale said.

He added that what is needed in state or national governments is that people elect candidates who will properly represent them.

Rosendale said he encourages people to continue to push hard to send U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., who is being challenged by Democrat Kathleen Williams in his bid for re-election, as well as himself to Washington, D.C.

"You're going to have good support there," he added, "people that represent your values and your principles. You also need to send all these good legislators back to Helena to make sure that they don't grow government there as well."

He said he is thankful for the support he has received in the past year but with the election just around the corner he needs everyone to keep working hard. Rosendale said he needs  everyone to turn in their ballots and contact their friends, neighbors and family and make sure everyone votes.

"We need less Washington in Montana and more Montana in Washington, D.C.," Rosendale said

Rosendale said in a interview after the rally that he is very happy for all the support he has received from Trump, Trump Jr., Guilfoyle, Gianforte, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Paul.

"Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee were the first three people that came out and endorsed me," he added.