Rand Paul aide licks Liberal tracker's camera

A staffer for Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul has come up with a novel way to fend off opposition observers on his boss's campaign trail, giving one photographer a tongue-lashing, of sorts.

Senator Rand Paul (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The US presidential elections are still well over a year away, but the campaign trail is already throwing up some interesting pre-vote tactics.

The latest can be attributed to David Chesley, Senator Rand Paul's political director in New Hampshire.

Chesley fronted a photographer from the opposition American Bridge group at a town hall speech being delivered by Senator Paul in a way that could be only be described as creepily intimate.

American Bridge is a Democratic group dedicated to tracking and recording every word that comes out of Republican candidates' mouths.

What their photographer wasn't counting on was also snapping a glimpse of what came out of the mouth of David Chesley.

The US presidential elections aren't due until November, 2016 - still plenty of time for Republican and Democrat staffers to acquaint themselves even more intimately with one another.