THE HILL — The glare of Iowa’s bright lights this week shows Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has work to do if he wants to win the GOP nomination.
The likely 2016 contender spent the first half of the week barnstorming the Hawkeye State, traveling 800 miles to meet with the divergent tribes that make up the state’s Republican base.
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But while Iowa Republicans give him credit for reaching out to voters outside his natural base, they say he needs to polish his message after a series of missteps that drew local and national attention.
Paul spent much of his week trying to explain his view on Israeli foreign aid, at first claiming he’d never supported cutting it — which he has, repeatedly — before walking back those remarks.
He also faced some tough questions about his views of gay marriage, and delivered some late-night TV fodder when he rapidly exited a lunch, still chewing, when a “DREAMer” immigration activist confronted Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).
As Republicans rush to the state this week, the unofficial kickoff of primary season, many state GOP observers say Paul’s missteps show he has work to do if he wants to remain one of the state’s frontrunners.
“This has been rough seas for Rand in Iowa this go-around. What he did here, it’s not a deal-breaker but it shows you he might not be as prepared to run for president as he thinks he is. It’s been a very rough week for him,” said Craig Robinson, a former state GOP political director and the editor of The Iowa Republican.
“While he’s been here a lot before this is his first real dose of what a presidential race would feel like and how the media would treat you. It’s eye-opening to anyone and I bet he’s learned a lot,” said Robinson.
Read more at The Hill.
