Kentucky could rework its state primaries to help Rand Paul in 2016

With the midterms behind us, we're now free to obsess solely over the 2016 presidential election. One person who's certainly looking forward to a run at the Oval Office is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), but there's just one problem: Paul will also be up for re-election to the Senate in 2016, and Kentucky state law prevents a candidate from appearing on a ballot more than once.

Luckily, Paul and his fellow Bluegrass State Republicans have devised a workaround. If Kentucky were to swap its presidential primary for a caucus, Paul would likely skirt the law because most caucuses do not vote by paper ballot. Steve Robertson, chairman of Kentucky's Republican party, told Politico he and Paul discussed the idea for about half an hour Tuesday night, at a party celebrating re-elected Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Changing the state's presidential election system would require the approval of local GOP officials, so it's far from a done deal. But switching to caucuses, which happen earlier in the year, could also give Kentucky more influence in the presidential nomination process.

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