Rand Paul and Ted Cruz were once supportive Senate colleagues — now, their rivalry has already begun.
Cruz declared his run for the Republican presidential ticket on Monday. Paul, who like Cruz is considered part of the Tea Party, didn’t waste any time criticizing the Texas senator.
“Right now, I’m the only one that beats Hillary Clinton in certain purple states,” the Kentucky senator said on Fox News Monday night. “There will be a lot of conservatives. Ted Cruz is a conservative, but it also goes to winnability. And people will have to make a decision: Which is the Republican that can not only excite the base but can also bring new people into the party without giving up principles?”
Paul also said he was “glad” to see students attending Cruz’s presidential announcement Monday at Liberty University wearing “Stand With Rand” t-shirts in his support. Paul is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican ticket April 7.
“I guess what makes us different is probably our approach to how we would make the party bigger,” Paul said, drawing a contrast between Cruz and him. “I’m a big believer that you should stand on principle … but I also think we should take those principles and try to bring in new people with them.”
That means not doing what Cruz did: “throwing out red meat,” Paul said, but “actually throwing out something intellectually enticing to people who haven’t been listening to our message before.”
According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, Paul is fifth (8.4 points) compared to Cruz, who is eighth (4.6 points). Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are tied atop the poll with 16.6 points each.
