GOP Debate: Rand Paul Buys TV Ad In Key Nominating States To Make Sure He Gets Screen Time

During the first Republican primary debate last month, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was relegated to the lower tier of prime-time debate contestants. He received just five questions that night, leading him to seemingly foster conflict with his competition to get more screen time. But for the second debate, Paul has different weapon in his arsenal.

Audiences in early primary states Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada can expect to see a Paul advertisement during breaks from the CNN debate skirmishes -- an attempt by the Paul campaign to make sure he gets his message out to voters as he lags behind at No. 7 in an average of national polls.

"I ran for office because no matter which party is in power, government and debt continue to grow," Paul says in the video. He discussed his flat tax code plan, eliminating the IRS, term limits and requiring Congress to read bills before voting on legislation. "As president, I'll make government smaller by cutting spending and taxes," he said.

With 3.3 percent of the national vote, Paul is facing an uncertain future for his presidential aspirations. It's a drop from May, when he topped out at 10 percent of the national polling averages. He is behind two of his Senate colleagues, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (6.8 percent) and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (5.3 percent). He's tied with the rising former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. Others ahead of Paul include former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (4.5 percent), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (7.8 percent), and the Republican front-runner Donald Trump (30.5 percent).

The second GOP debate will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. It will be broadcast live on CNN at 8 p.m. EST, and follows an earlier debate for the four candidates at the back of the pack.