Calling himself a “different kind of Republican,” Sen. Rand Paul,R-Ky., it set to formally announce his bid for presidency on Tuesday.
Following the announcement, Paul will embark on a string of rallies across four states, each of which will have a different focus reflecting key themes of his campaign. Subjects include downsizing the federal government and limiting its reach, and bringing younger voters into the Republican fold.
Departing from the standard Republican message of re-energizing the party’s already-existing base, Paul is reaching out to groups traditionally skeptical of Republicans, including African-American and Millennial voters.
Paul has served as Senator in Kentucky since 2011. Strongly influenced by his father’s 1988 Libertarian presidential campaign, Paul’s libertarian leanings made him stand out among other contenders when speculations about a presidential run began a couple of years ago.
However some are concerned his position has turned “fuzzy” and wonder if he’s “trimmed his positions and rhetoric so much that it’s unclear what kind of Republican he will present himself as when he takes the stage.”
Two significant areas where he departs from Libertarian leanings and blends more with conservative Republican rhetoric are in courting the religious right, and adopting a stronger posture on defense and foreign policy.
Paul has shown a “conspicuous silence” on two issues his GOP nomination rivals have vocally addressed: Indiana’s religious-liberty law, and Obama’s negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear policy. “In both instances, Paul’s office said he was vacationing with his family and would not comment,” noted the Washington Post.
Paul faces an uphill battle in convincing disparate voters he can represent them. Traditional Republican business leaders are wary of libertarian leanings, though executives in Silicon Valley show interest. Evangelical voters range from skeptical to hostile toward the libertarian element of the GOP.
In a prayer breakfast meeting with over 50 pastors and religious leaders on Thursday, Paul received a favorable response. “[L]et me just say this: Rand Paul IS going to get a chunk of the evangelical vote,” said David Brody on The Brody File. “On the surface, he may not be the guy you might think would appeal to evangelicals but take a deeper look. He’ll have a pretty good appeal to millennial evangelicals and his talk of spiritual revival resonates.”
Brody added, “Plus, he’s going through great lengths to show how pro-Israel he is despite some who might question him on that. And remember this: this is not some ‘crazy libertarian’ who wants to distance himself from faith and government issues. He understands the connection and he’s willing to talk about it in public.”
Paul’s recent approach to foreign policy – in which he proposed increasing defense spending by nearly $190 billion over the next two years – departs from his earlier stance pushing for smaller budgets and a scaled-back U.S. military.
In February, Paul told the Conservative Political Action Conference that national defense is a top priority, a position he has stressed on the campaign trail where voters have peppered him with questions about the Islamic State and Iran. He put forth an amendment in March that would allocate $697 billion for defense in the next fiscal year, with the increased money offset by cutting $21 billion in foreign aid, particularly to “haters of America,” including China and Pakistan.
“Senator Paul believes national defense should be our priority,” Paul adviser Doug Stafford said in a statement. “He also believes our debt is out of control. This amendment is to make sure people understand that if you believe we need more funding for national defense, you should show how you would pay for it. No one should be seeking increased funding for anything by increasing our debt.”
The fact that Paul is being considered a serious contender may have as much to do with the nation’s fatigue over business-as-usual candidates as it does his unique platform. “There is something profoundly disturbing about the prospect of another Clinton or Bush presidency,” wrote Financial Times columnist Edward Luce, calling the possibility of another Clinton or Bush in office a “game of thrones.” “Should either win in 2016, then by the time he or she completed their second term, the U.S. would have had a Bush or a Clinton in the White House for 36 of the previous 44 years. There are inbred autocracies with richer blood circulation than this.”
Paul’s campaign has been called a delicate balancing act, where he must find a way to make himself “more acceptable to conservatives without dampening the enthusiasm of the boisterous, youthful and well-organized grass-roots network” that his father ignited in 2008 and 2012. The equation has been described as mathematical, with give-and-take between how many supporters he’ll gain and how many detractors he’ll lose.
“If Paul can find the sweet spot, making peace with the Republican base while maintaining his libertarian cred,” noted Karen Tumulty with the Washington Post, “the campaign calendar will give him some built-in advantages in a crowded GOP field.”
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