Republican Sen. Rand Paul revealed that he believe he might be the Republicans' best bet when it comes to getting votes from minorities, the Wire reported.
Having made his desire to run for president in 2016 obvious, Paul was equally forthright about other issues in an interview with Politico released Tuesday morning.
"The country's a mess, and I think there needs to be a program that Republicans put forward, and also there needs to be a messenger who can actually win," he told Politico, which caught up with him on a political swing through Texas earlier this month. "And I'm concerned that if we put forward the same sort of candidate again, that we won't be successful."
According to the Wire, the candidate Republicans need, Paul reasons, is Paul. He's the only one who can appeal to minorities.
The issue of immigration reform, which Republican Sen. Ted Cruz derailed, is looking to be addressed by Paul, he said to a crowd of self-described Cruz and Sarah Palin fans at the Harris County GOP dinner in Houston.
"Texas is going to be a Democrat state within 10 years if we don't change. That means we evolve. It doesn't mean we give up on what we believe in, but it means we have to be a welcoming party," Paul said. "What I'll continue to say, and it's not an exact policy prescription, but if you want to work and you want a job and you want to be part of America, we'll find a place for you."
Although the bipartisan Gang of Eight immigration bill that's currently stalled in Congress is not supported by Paul, he does approve of reform that goes beyond border control.
Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus has been an inspirational force for Paul. Paul told Politico that Priebus didn't offer a specific policy prescription for immigration reform in the RNC's "autopsy report" from the 2012 election, but he made it clear that change needs to happen to appeal to Latino voters.
"I think that our message...has great appeal if you are part of any kind of group that's ever been mistreated in history. That could be African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Japanese-Americans, all of which, at times in our history, haven't been treated as they should be," Paul said.
According to the Wire, "It's interesting that this is the angle Paul is pushing, considering he had to fire one of his top aides last year for being less than racially sensitive. Paul's aide, Jack Hunter, was a shock jock radio host who espoused neo-Confederate views on air into the mid-2000s. He once suggested that John Wilkes Booth's 'heart was in the right place' when he shot President Lincoln."
The Wire continued, "As Jonathan Chait at New York explained at the time, there's a reason racists are attracted to libertarians like Paul. Chait argued, 'the logic of southern white supremacy and the logic of libertarianism run along very similar lines. They both express themselves in terms of opposition to federal power and support for states' rights.' While 'very, very few Rand Paul fans are glad Abraham Lincoln was shot,' Paul's libertarianism does appeal to a racist crowd. His father, Ron Paul, has similarly unsavory fans, and in the early 90s, he published racist newsletters himself (though he denies responsibility for them)."
With his broadest appeal, Paul stands to position himself as the GOP candidate. Ahead of the midterm, Paul has made a point to visit minority communities, Politico reported.
"And he's less conservative on social issues than some of the other GOP 2016 frontrunners, famously saying that Republicans need to 'agree to disagree' on the subject of gay marriage," the Wire reported.
"Everybody likes me," he told Politico with a grin.
