Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul announced today that he is running for president in 2016.
Paul updated his website this morning with a quote, which reads, “I am running for president to return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government.” He is also going to make a speech at noon today to make a formal announcement.
Paul, 52, only entered politics in 2010 as he came in with other Tea Party candidates. However, he has the advantage of being born into a political family. His father is former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who also has his own supporters and ran for president in 2008 and 2012.
While he follows the Republican views on topics like abortion and same-sex marriage, he has a few other extreme ideas to limit government that might not find widespread support in the party. As the New York Times notes, he has pushed for reducing drug penalties and does not want to rush into military intervention.
Today’s speech will take place in Louisville, but then he will go on the campaign trail. CNN notes that he will likely be going to early primary and caucus states like New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Iowa.
The real struggle for Paul will be to prove that he’s not just a younger version of his father, who was always seen as a fringe candidate with just a small base of supporters. If Paul could even win one of the first primaries, he could prove right away that he is a serious contender for the White House.
Paul is just the second candidate to formally announce a run for the Oval Office in 2016. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced his plan to run last month.
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