For Rand Paul, it's all led to this moment. <\/p>\n
Since riding the tea party wave into the Senate in 2010, Paul has carefully built a brand of mainstream libertarianism -- dogged advocacy of civil liberties combined with an anti-interventionist foreign policy and general support for family values -- that he bets will create a coalition of younger voters and traditional Republicans to usher him into the White House. <\/p>\n
The test of that theory began Tuesday when the Kentucky senator made official what has been clear for years: He's running for president. <\/p>\n
\"Today I announce with God's help, with the help of liberty lovers everywhere, that I'm putting myself forward as a candidate for president of the United States of America,\" Paul said at a rally in Louisville. <\/p>\n
Paul immediately hit the campaign trail for a four-day swing through New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa and Nevada -- the states that traditionally vote first in the primaries and caucuses. <\/p>\n
In his speech, he called for reforming Washington by pushing for term limits and a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. He argued that both parties are to blame for the rising debt, saying it doubled under a Republican administration and tripled under Obama. <\/p>\n
\"Government should be restrained and freedom should be maximized,\" he said. <\/p>\n
The line-up of speakers who introduced Paul sought to paint the senator as a nontraditional candidate with diverse appeal, and by the time he got on stage, he was the first white man to address the crowd. <\/p>\n
The speakers included J.C. Watts, a former congressman who's African-American; state Sen. Ralph Alvarado, who's Hispanic; local pastor Jerry Stephenson, who's African American and a former Democrat; and University of Kentucky student Lauren Bosler. <\/p>\n
\"He goes everywhere. It doesn't matter what color you are. Rand Paul will be there,\" Stephenson said, firing up the crowd. <\/p>\n
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Continue reading here: For Rand Paul, it's all led to this moment. Since riding the tea party wave into the Senate in 2010, Paul has carefully built a brand of mainstream libertarianism -- dogged advocacy of civil liberties combined with an anti-interventionist foreign policy and general support for family values -- that he bets will create a coalition of younger voters and traditional Republicans to usher him into the White House. Continue reading
\nRand Paul launches presidential campaign<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"