2016’s specter: Paul, Jindal visit early voting states

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and STEVE PEOPLES

Associated Press
Saturday, May 11, 2013
(Published in print: Saturday, May 11, 2013)

Republican Sen. Rand Paul opened his presidential exploration tour yesterday with a splashy set of speaking engagements in Iowa designed to broaden his Tea Party brand into something more mainstream and, perhaps, viable.

At the same time, another Republican, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, became the first potential 2016 presidential candidate this year to visit New Hampshire, unofficially kicking off the state’s presidential primary season roughly 2½ years before voting begins.

Paul, the son of former Texas representative Ron Paul, was the headliner at a marquee Republican dinner and was expected to meet with key voting groups in eastern Iowa.

In coming weeks, the Kentucky Republican will reintroduce himself in early voting New Hampshire and South Carolina as a durable would-be candidate able to broaden the GOP into diverse voting blocs dominated by Democrats.

He’s laid some of the groundwork for his case by speaking to black and Hispanic audiences and saying that he opposes a federal ban on gay marriage.

“I think people are looking for something different. You might accuse me of being not exactly the traditional cookie-cutter Republican,” Paul told reporters on an afternoon of political events in Cedar Rapids. “I do know the GOP needs to grow, and I want to be part of growing the GOP.”

More than 1,000 miles away, Jindal reiterated his call for the GOP to stop being “the stupid party,” insisting that Republicans must expand their message beyond budget austerity and shrinking government.

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