Omaha , Nebraska ( CNN ) -- Sen. Rand Paul kicks off a three-day swing Monday across Iowa , holding campaign-style events and fund-raisers with local politicians as the potential Republican presidential contender barnstorms the first-in-the-nation caucus state . Paul 's route will take him through nine cities from the state 's western border to its eastern edge . The Kentucky Republican will also help the state Republican Party open multiple offices ahead of the midterm elections . `` It 's very important for Sen. Paul to hear the concerns of average Iowans as well as job creators , '' said Steve Grubbs , Paul 's chief Iowa strategist and a longtime political operative in the Hawkeye State . As Paul lays the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign , he has kept Iowa a top priority . This is his fourth trip there since the 2012 presidential election . Paul will leave the state on Wednesday , a day before the start of the Iowa State Fair , a popular venue for presidential hopefuls . A small swarm of other potential GOP contenders will travel to Iowa this weekend to attend a popular event for social conservatives . But Paul wo n't be there , preferring to give the candidates he 's been helping some breathing room and allow them to be the focus . Poll : Republicans slightly behind Clinton in key 2016 states . Tim Hagle , a political science professor at the University of Iowa , said the senator 's plan is n't a bad idea , especially in a midterm election year . `` You want to come in and do favors for Iowa politicians , '' he said . `` If you 're at the state fair , the attention is on you and not the person you 're trying to help . '' `` Next year , you call in those favors , '' he added . `` That 's how it works . '' Paul actually starts the week in Omaha , Nebraska , where he 'll appear publicly with Ben Sasse , the GOP nominee for Nebraska 's open Senate seat . Then , he 'll quickly hop across the state line to help the Iowa GOP open an office in Council Bluffs , where he 's expected to appear with the state 's GOP Senate nominee , Joni Ernst . Potential 2016 GOP candidates tout conservative principles in Iowa . Later Monday he travels north to Sioux City for another office opening , and then to a fund-raiser farther north , in Okoboji , for Rep. Steve King , a longtime congressman with considerable sway among the state 's social conservatives . Tuesday morning Paul is back on the road for a fund-raiser in Clear Lake , before a stop at the Iowa GOP office in Hiawatha . Continuing east , he 'll attend a fund-raiser for Mariannette Miller-Meeks ' congressional campaign in Iowa City , and then he has two events in Davenport , including a tour of the corporate headquarters of Von Maur department stores . Wednesday he attends a breakfast in Urbandale and wraps up his public appearances for the week with another GOP office opening in the same city , a suburb of Des Moines . On some issues , Paul and Christie sound a lot alike . Paul 's political action committee , RANDPAC , has made two big hires from Iowa in recent months : Grubbs -- who 's also a former state representative and state party chairman -- and A.J . Spiker , a prominent figure among Iowa 's libertarian-leaning Republicans . Paul 's father , former Texas Rep. Ron Paul , generated a huge following in Iowa during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns . The libertarian movement went on to gain sizable influence in the state 's Republican Party after the election -- Spiker , for example , became state GOP chairman -- but mainstream Republicans took back control of the party earlier this year . A big question will be whether Rand Paul , who 's considered more moderate than his father , can re-energize the so-called Liberty faction of the state party , while also garnering support from its social conservatives and mainstream Republicans . `` One of the reasons I signed on to work with Sen. Paul is I could see how he appeals to all of our party , '' Grubbs said . `` There are very few candidates who have that ability to unify our party . I think that he can do that . ''
Rand Paul kicks off a three-day swing Monday across the first-in-the-nation caucus state . The state would be crucial for Paul if he runs for president in 2016 . `` You want to come in and do favors for Iowa politicians , '' Iowa political expert says . TL;DR Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is expected to announce his candidacy Tuesday at an event in Des Moines.