Politics
Illustration: Mark Marturello/The Des Moines Register
PARTY: Republican
BORN: January 7, 1963 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
What he’s got: Built-in activist base; distinctive quasi-libertarian orientation; manifest intelligence and political agility; understanding of need to attract voters not currently part of the Republican coalition.
What he lacks: Thick skin to deal with criticism and tough questions from rivals and the press; hands-on foreign policy and/or management experience; a substantial record of legislative accomplishments.
Paul addresses the press during the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Photograph by: Christopher Anderson / Magnum
Rand Paul shakes hands with costumed Tea Party member Paul Wheeler at a Senate campaign rally in Erlanger, Kentucky, on October 2, 2010. Photograph by: Luke Sharrett/The New York Times
Portraits of Paul and his father, the former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), hang opposite one another at Rand’s office in Washington in this photo from January 23, 2014. Photograph by: Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Paul and Dr. Barbara Bowers, who have performed several pro-bono surgeries together, discuss a patient’s case at the Pain Management Center near Paducah, Kentucky, on February 21, 2012. Photograph by: AP Photo/The Paducah Sun, John Wright
Paul stretches during the 53rd Congressional Baseball Game, which the Republicans lost to the Democrats 15-6, in Washington DC’s Nationals Park on June 25, 2014. Photograph by: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Paul dons Senator Richard Blumenthal’s University of Connecticut tie on the Senate steps after losing a bet that the Kentucky Wildcats would beat UConn’s Huskies in the 2015 NCAA men’s basketball final. Photograph by: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Paul participates in a reenactment of his swearing-in-ceremony with Vice President Joe Biden, inside the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill, on January 5, 2011. Photograph by: Brooks Kraft/Corbis
Paul listens to his father’s speech during a campaign event for the elder Paul’s 2012 presidential run in Mason City, Iowa, on January 2, 2012. Photograph by: STEVE POPE/epa/Corbis
Paul and his wife, Kelley, talk to the press after casting their ballots in Kentucky’s 2010 senate race, which Paul went on to win, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on November 2, 2010. Photograph by: Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Paul sports Ray-Ban sunglasses during a press conference in Washington, DC, on September 26, 2013. Photograph by: Win McNamee/Getty Images
During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Paul gestures while describing demonstrators who faced militarized police as they protested the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed teen who was killed by Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson. Photograph by: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Paul embraces his wife, Kelley, before announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination during an event in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 7, 2015. Photograph by: Luke Sharrett/Getty Images
Why Rand Paul Wants to Be President
Rand Paul explains how his “strong ideas” will appeal to both parties.
“I’m a strong supporter of the Constitution.”
“I never, ever cheated ... But I would sometimes spread misinformation. This is a great tactic.”
“They’re coming after your doughnuts.”
- On the FDA’s plan to phase out trans fats.
“I didn’t grow up poor—I grew up middle class ... This is me learning about how other people have to deal with life.”
- On his visit to Ferguson, Missouri.
In college, Paul invented a deity named “Aqua Buddha” and was in a pseudo-frat that Baylor University called “lewd, crude, and grossly sacrilegious.”
Wife
Kelly Ashby Paul
His “secret weapon.”
Children
Robert Paul, Son
William Paul, Son
Duncan Paul, Son
Parents
Carol Paul, Mother
Ron Paul, Father
