Rand Paul Teaming Up With Dems? For This Cause, He Thinks It's Worth It
Posted: 08/22/2013 10:52 am EDT | Updated: 08/22/2013 11:00 am EDT
 |
| Like I have been sayin' |
As Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) explores the possibility of a presidential run, he's trying his hand at something that's become a rite of passage for the GOP's other 2016 hopefuls: Expanding the appeal of the Republican Party by turning to policies important to minority voters. Specifically, the state of the nation's schools.
Since the 2012 presidential election, expected 2016 contenders like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) have flirted with education policy as a way to attract minority voters. Now Paul is entering the fray, with a Thursday appearance in Louisville to promote a new campaign to bring charter schools to his state. He'll be joining the National Association for Public Charter Schools, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the Black Alliance for Education Options, and -- a strange bedfellow, of sorts -- Democrats for Education Reform.
Republicans face an uphill battle with the growing demographic of minority voters. To bridge the gap, politicians are focusing on issues like school choice -- a topic that resonates strongly with many minority voters due to the fact that minorities are so often stuck with bad schools in poor neighborhoods, without the ability to buy their way into pricier alternatives.
"It's like trying to attract the youth vote," Paul said in an interview. "If you want young people to vote for you and all you talk about is taxes and regulations, they