Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. walks from the stage after speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. Carolyn Kaster\/AP hide caption <\/p>\n
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. walks from the stage after speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. <\/p>\n
Rand Paul is not like other potential presidential candidates. <\/p>\n
The Kentucky senator, who announced his candidacy for the White House on Tuesday morning, doesn't fit neatly into the molds of either party. <\/p>\n
Socially liberal on issues of crime and punishment especially when it comes to drug sentencing against a federal ban on same-sex marriage, and no foreign policy hawk, he's not your prototypical Republican. <\/p>\n
As a fiscal conservative and an opponent of abortion rights, though, he's certainly no Democrat either. <\/p>\n
\"It's time for a new way, a new set of ideas and a new leader,\" Paul says in a Web video, with a heavy metal soundtrack, previewing his presidential campaign. <\/p>\n
Paul fits more with libertarians. And, though he is the scion of the last carrier of the torch of \"liberty,\" he's also not quite his father's libertarian. <\/p>\n
Paul's father, the former Rep. Ron, ran for president three times before retiring. The elder Paul, 79, was always regarded as something of a gadfly, an outspoken fresh voice in the Republican primary with a passionate following of young libertarians. <\/p>\n
Though Paul did not win a single state in 2008 or 2012, when measured by Election Day voting percentage, he routinely finished in the top three. In fact, he finished a solid second behind Romney in the critical early state of New Hampshire. <\/p>\n
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Can Libertarian Rand Paul Win A Republican Primary?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. walks from the stage after speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. Continue reading