Rand Paul (R) announced this morning that he's received the endorsement of Sarah Palin in his bid for U.S. Senate from Kentucky. With that endorsement comes a "generous contribution" from the former VP nominee's political action committee. From a campaign release:

Sarah Palin has clearly seen that Rand Paul supports smaller, constitutional government and is taking the fight to the career politicians and will shake up the tax and spend crowd in Washington D.C.     "Governor Palin is providing tremendous leadership as the Tea Party movement and constitutional conservatives strive to take our country back," Rand said.

"Sarah Palin is a giant in American politics. I am proud to receive her support."

...
 
Sarah Palin's endorsement is another major success in a long list of achievements for the Paul campaign. Dr. Paul was recently identified as one of the five most important candidates to support by Dick Armey, Freedom Works and the National Tea Party Movement. Dr. Paul has also received endorsements from Concerned Women for America, Gun Owners of America, Steve Forbes and RedState.com,

Paul is challenging Secretary of State Trey Grayson for the GOP nomination, hoping to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning (R). A recent poll showed Paul with a sizable edge in the early going. Paul has drawn considerable support from the same grassroots base that backed his father's presidential bid. He raised $650,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009 and had $1.3 million on hand.