Watch \"The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer\" Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET for an interview with Rand Paul. <\/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
A poster from the Rand Paul for President campaign. <\/p>\n
READ: Can Rand Paul escape his father's shadow? <\/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
<\/p>\n
More here: Watch \"The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer\" Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET for an interview with Rand Paul. 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: 'I'm putting myself forward as a candidate for president'<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"