--- title: Will Ron Paul Haunt Rand Paul in 2016 presidential race? description: As Rand Paul prepares for a likely presidential campaign in 2016, it's clear that his father's remarks on politics are likely to cause trouble. canonical: https://time.com/3661628/ron-paul-rand-2016/ author: Alex Altman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-09T19:14:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:19.251Z article:section: Politics og:title: Will Ron Paul Haunt Rand in 2016? og:description: Rand Paul's famous father is no longer an asset. og:url: https://time.com/3661628/ron-paul-rand-2016/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt990965f6e07ab99b/6987610635ba6f49aec0478d/rand-paul-ron-paul2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Rand Paul, Ron Paul og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Will Ron Paul Haunt Rand in 2016? twitter:description: Rand Paul's famous father is no longer an asset. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt990965f6e07ab99b/6987610635ba6f49aec0478d/rand-paul-ron-paul2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Will Ron Paul Haunt Rand in 2016?  by [Alex Altman](https://time.com/author/alex-altman/)  ## Alex Altman Altman is the executive features editor and deputy Washington bureau chief at TIME. Jan 9, 2015 7:14 PM UTC  As a libertarian-minded Republican in congress for decades, Rep. Ron Paul (right) became the defacto leader of the libertarian movement in the U.S. His son Rand Paul (left) is now trying to take on that mantle as a Senator from Kentucky and likely presidential hopeful. As a libertarian-minded Republican in congress for decades, Rep. Ron Paul (right) became the defacto leader of the libertarian movement in the U.S. His son Rand Paul (left) is now trying to take on that mantle as a Senator from Kentucky and likely presidential hopeful.Ed Reinke—AP  by [Alex Altman](https://time.com/author/alex-altman/)  ## Alex Altman Altman is the executive features editor and deputy Washington bureau chief at TIME. Jan 9, 2015 7:14 PM UTC We don’t pick our parents, and by most any measure, Rand Paul was exceedingly lucky with his. Former GOP Representative and presidential candidate Ron Paul bequeathed to his son a name and a network that propelled his ascent from unknown ophthalmologist to presidential contender in the span of a few short years. But as Rand Paul prepares for a likely campaign launch this year, it’s clear that his famous father is no longer an asset. Ron Paul retired from Congress in January 2013, but he hasn’t strayed far from the political stage. In columns and interviews, he regularly espouses positions which are out of step with the Republican electorate and which opponents will harness in an attempt to strangle his son’s presidential aspirations. After the terrorist attack in Paris this week, Ron Paul said that French foreign policy had helped drive the attack. “It’s an overall policy that invites retaliation,” Paul [told](http://www.newsmax.com/Newsmax-Tv/Ron-Paul-Paris-attack-Charlie-Hebdo/2015/01/07/id/617077/) Newsmax TV. “It doesn’t justify \[the attack\], but it explains it.” The argument echoed his claim that American military adventurism precipitated the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a belief that doesn’t wash well with a party predicated on national pride. And if Ron’s foreign policy clashes with the party’s prevailing views, so too do some of his domestic prescriptions. In a column published Thursday, Paul wrote the U.S. “is a police state” marred by a “police culture that accepts the principle of initiating unjustified violence against citizens.” Such convictions are anathema for much of the Republican Party, which considers law enforcement sacrosanct and rejects criticism of cops, particularly in the wake of the killing of two New York City police officers last month. As he gears up for a presidential campaign, one of Rand Paul’s central challenges will be to nurture his father’s ardent fans while separating himself from Ron’s impolitic positions. Since his election to the Senate in 2010, Rand has taken a different tack than his dad, both [in tone](http://swampland.time.com/2013/03/29/in-kentucky-rand-paul-demonstrates-the-art-of-the-sale/) and in substance. But Rand Paul’s primary opponents will try to use the father’s remarks to discredit the son. A Paul adviser predicts the attack won’t stick, noting it hasn’t impeded the Kentucky senator’s meteoric rise. “If Rand’s opponents and the media are successful at tying him to his father’s comments, it will be the first time in history,” the adviser says. “People don’t vote based on for someone for president based on their father.” But Ron Paul’s remarks this week are an unpleasant reminder that Rand may be forced to defend or disown his father’s remarks throughout a presidential campaign. ### Photos: On the Road with Rand Paul  Senator Rand Paul talks to voters at the Horry County Republican Party in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul talks with students at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul's boots are seen as he talks with students at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul bows his head in prayer before talking to voters at the Horry County Republican Party in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul and GOP Senatorial candidate Thom Tillis meet with diners at Big Ed's restaurant in Raleigh, N.C. on Oct. 1st, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul attends a BBQ event at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  In a back tent, Senator Paul manages to have five minutes alone to go over his speech at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell attend a BBQ event at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul speaks at a BBQ event at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  The BBQ event's band at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12, 2014. 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