Sen. Rand Paul, fresh off a filibuster win over the White House, now says he may put his name in the hat for a 2016 presidential run.
“I think our party needs something new, fresh and different,” he told Politico, adding that he was “seriously” considering a White House run. “What we’ve been running — nothing against the candidates necessarily — but we have a good, solid niche in all the solidly red states throughout the middle of the country.”
Republican candidates from the last election did not appeal to many voters outside the core base, he said.
“We have to figure out how to appeal to the West Coast, New England, around the Great Lakes area. We need to figure out how to appeal to the blue-collar voters … that were Democrats that voted for Reagan, and I think they are drifting back because they see us as the party of the wealthy,” he said in Politico.
Sen. John Thune said Mr. Paul’s filibuster — that led the White House to release just what he sought, a clear statement outlining the president’s limits to use drones to attack U.S. citizens — was a grand and defining moment in political history.
The filibuster was “enormously helpful” to him politically, Mr. Thune said, in the Politico report. “Standing in there, hanging in there — taking punches, fighting the good fight, always, I think, is helpful. … And I think it’s kind of contagious.”
SEE ALSO: Rand Paul’s filibuster highlights split in GOP ranks; defense hawks not amused
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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