White House hopeful Rand Paul heads to California, money in mind

Days after he announced he was running for the White House, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is coming to California – for the usual reason. Like candidates in both parties, the Republican will seek money more than votes in a state that serves as the ATM for national political campaigns.

On Friday, Paul will headline a private gathering at the Newport Beach home of Helena and Ron Sechrist, where donors will contribute as much as $10,400. He will also hold an intimate fundraiser at the home opener of the Anaheim Angels baseball team that evening, said Eric Beach, a national finance chairman for Paul’s presidential campaign.

On Saturday, Paul will greet 50 to 100 supporters at a phone bank at Entrepreneur magazine in Irvine, Beach said.

“We’re going to have a call day with many volunteers around the state and even outside the state, trying to gain support and dollars for the senator,” he said. “California is Rand country, because it’s a cross between many different types of folks – big-dollar folks and hard-working middle-class folks. He’s the kind of person whose message resonates with the entire state.”

Paul made frequent trips to the state – courting Silicon Valley libertarians, Hollywood conservatives and mainstream Republicans – as he pondered the presidential bid that he formally announced Tuesday.

Since kicking off his presidential campaign in Louisville, Paul has traveled through the states that hold the early nominating contests – New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa.

On Friday, Paul will speak in Iowa City before flying to California for the Orange County fundraising events. After his Saturday event in Irvine, he will move on to Nevada, another early-voting state.

Twitter: @LATSeema