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Story highlights Julian Zelizer: Rand Paul, due to announce for presidency, has attracted a lot of attention He says the Kentucky senator can appeal to younger Republicans with a libertarian brand of conservatism

The Kentucky senator's widely publicized appearance this month at the South by Southwest festival at Austin, Texas, was one opportunity he used to appeal to a tech-savvy audience. His particular blend of ideas -- a combination of libertarianism and Republican conservatism -- stands out from the rest of the pack. Younger Republicans, the much-desired millennial vote, seem attracted by what they are hearing.

What accounts for his appeal? In an era when so many Americans seem frustrated with shallow, personality-based politics, there seems to be genuine interest in a candidate who is fighting for a set of ideas. For many disaffected younger Republicans, Paul offers a version of the conservative agenda that seems foreign to the modern GOP.

Julian Zelizer

For almost half a century, "big government conservatism" has ruled the party. Although conservatism is theoretically about limited government, the historical reality has been much different. On national defense, the hawks of the GOP have been victorious.

Even while railing against the dangers of a big federal government, Republicans have lined up to support higher defense spending and a massive military-industrial complex. Though the GOP has little tolerance for many social safety net programs, the party has accepted sizable government support to industry, such as the financial bailout known as TARP in 2008 and subsidies for certain economic interests.

Paul has been a vocal critic of the neoconservative turn that the GOP has embraced in recent decades, during which the party moved beyond support for high national security spending and toward a bolder vision of aggressive nation-building and regime change.

For some Republicans, including Paul, these policies were at the heart of the failures of George W. Bush's presidency and a sharp departure from the party's principles. Similarly, Paul has been one of the few Republican voices to argue that post 9/11 surveillance policies have dangerously curtailed civil liberties. At the local level, he has criticized the militarization of police forces and the treatment of African Americans by law enforcement officers.

Paul has also backed away from some tenets of social conservatism that don't sit well with a growing number of Republican voters. He has been an outspoken advocate of giving states the right to legalize marijuana. He has been attuned to the ways in which younger generations of Republicans are not on board with the evangelical fervor of the 1970s conservative movement and want to move in a different direction.

While many Republicans have talked about the need for their party to tackle issues involving race and inequality in ways that are different from Democrats, most have been unwilling to offer any substantive ideas. Indeed, the recent budget blueprint from congressional Republicans exposed how thin discussions of a Republican anti-poverty program are.

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Why Rand Paul stands out - CNN.com

As he prepares to launch his presidential campaign next week, Rand Paul is looking to broaden his appeal to Iowas homegrown biofuel industry by co-sponsoring an ethanol-friendly bill with the states popular senior senator, Chuck Grassley.

Backing the measure gives Paul a way to appeal to Iowas alternative energy sector, while not compromising his free-market ideology when he barnstorms the state next week as part of his expected presidential kick-off.

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Pauls bill would make it easier to increase the amount of ethanol blended into vehicle fuel. Current Environmental Protection Agency rules impose a 10 percent limit on the amount of ethanol that can be mixed into fuel during the summertime. Pauls change is backed by key renewable fuel interest groups.

Alternative energy is a tricky issue in Iowa, where Grassley has long advocated legislation offering tax breaks for wind power and encouraging the sale of ethanol. Republican presidential hopefuls have to thread the needle between appealing to the critical caucus states energy producers while also attempting to appease a conservative base that opposes government intervention in the energy sector.

Paul and Grassleys bill would allow truck fleets to be converted more easily to run on ethanol blends, permanently extend a tax credit for manufacturers of alternative fuel vehicles, lower taxes on liquid natural gas and, most importantly for Iowans, allow a fuel blend of 15 percent ethanol to be sold year-round.

Paul has been critical of government regulations that dictate what fuels are sold, including the Renewable Fuel Standard, a law Congress created in 2005 and expanded in 2007 thats intended to gradually incorporate more alternative fuels into gasoline blends.

Paul said his new proposal is a way to get around the EPAs onerous regulation of fuels.

Sen. Paul supports removing regulatory barriers to the use of ethanol and other renewable fuels, which would likely have the effect of growing the use of these environmentally friendly fuels. He does not support the government telling consumers or businesses what type of fuel they must use or sell, an aide said on Wednesday.

Some would like Paul to go further. Although the Renewable Fuels Association, a major energy player in D.C., supports Pauls bill, it still wants the federal government to stand fully behind the RFS and not water it down or repeal it.

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Rand Paul finds a biofuels proposal he can get behind

Paul will be kicking off his presidential campaign next Tuesday during an appearance in Louisville, Ky. | Getty

Tony Fabrizio polled for Rick Perry in 2012, Bob Dole in 1996.

By Alex Isenstadt

4/1/15 6:10 PM EDT

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has signed Tony Fabrizio, a veteran Republican pollster, to join his 2016 presidential campaign, according to a source familiar with the move.

Fabrizio joins a growing Paul campaign team that includes campaign manager-in-waiting Chip Englander, and advisers Steve Munisteri, Mike Biundo, and Doug Stafford.

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Fabrizios resume is a long one: He worked on then-Texas Gov. Rick Perrys 2012 presidential campaign Perry recently inked Greg Strimple to poll for his likely campaign and was a top strategist on Bob Doles 1996 bid. Fabrizio also serves as a top adviser to Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Paul, a first-term Republican, will be kicking off his presidential campaign next Tuesday during an appearance in Louisville, Ky., at the Galt House hotel. The senator will then be heading to New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Iowa for a tour of early primary states.

That would make Paul the second announced presidential candidate of the 2016 campaign; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz launched his bid last week. Another Republican, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, is expected to begin his campaign on March 13 in Miami.

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Rand Paul signs pollster for presidential campaign

Republicans from all across Kentucky will be in the audience next week when Sen. Rand Paul announces his presidential run in Louisville with one big exception.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has endorsed Pauls national bid. But there are official endorsements and then there are endorsements with all the accouterments fundraising help, stops on the campaign trail, leaning on fellow pols to get on board and McConnells imprimatur is decidedly in the former category.

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In the latest twist in a relationship between two politicians who in many respects are polar opposites, the Republican leader wont be on hand for his junior senators White House campaign kickoff. Sources familiar with his decision insisted its not meant as a slight: McConnell is simply following through on his pledge not to campaign for Paul, lest he play favorites among the three other members of his conference planning or eyeing bids of their own.

While McConnell has made his support for Rand known, he also has a job to do as majority leader, said one Republican official with knowledge of their relationship. With several members of his conference running for the same office, its just easier for him to do his day job that way.

The two Kentucky Republicans cut very different profiles one is the embodiment of the party establishment, the other a tea party libertarian yet theyve formed an alliance the past few years that has paid political dividends for both. Each has helped the others cause with the part of the GOP in which hes weakest Pauls endorsement of McConnells reelection last year helped the GOP leader court the conservative grass roots, and McConnell has lent Paul cred with more mainstream Republicans as he tries to broaden his appeal for 2016.

But McConnells move to skip Pauls presidential launch shows the limits of their alliance.

McConnell isnt the only lawmaker grappling with the presidential ambitions of colleagues from their states delegation. In states such as Florida, where Sen. Marco Rubio plans to formally announce his bid in mid-April, Republicans like Rep. John Mica are instead supporting their states former governor, Jeb Bush. In South Carolina, Sen. Tim Scott plans to stay neutral even as his senior colleague from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, is openly toying with a run. And in Texas, conservative firebrand Ted Cruz has won few allies in his states delegation, with many eager to jump behind another candidate or stay out of the race altogether.

Asked about Cruz, Texas Rep. Pete Sessions said he believes his states delegation will instead rally behind a Republican candidate with wider appeal.

We need someone who can win the state of Florida, can win the state of Pennsylvania and can win the state of Ohio, Sessions said. We can have favorite sons. There is nothing wrong with that, but Republicans want to win before we want an ideological [candidate].

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McConnell-Paul alliance has its limits

It never ceases to amaze how many people assume that because Rand Paul says reasonable things about the drug war and describes himself as a libertarian conservative, he must be down with the gay rights movement. This isnt simply a belief shared by low-information voters; indeed, it often creeps into media coverage of the Kentucky senator and likely 2016 presidential candidate. In 2014, NPR described Paulas the candidate of GOP voters more tolerant of same-sex marriage, and Politico has suggested that Paul would offer the gay community a presidential pat on the head.

But despite the widely held perception that Paul represents a break with the GOPs anti-gay record, theres little that separates Paul from Rick Santorum on LGBT issues. He has long opposed marriage equality and non-discrimination protections, and just within the past month, Paul has declared that same-sex nuptials offend him and called marriage equality a sign of a moral crisis in American society.

Now, thanks to BuzzFeeds Dominic Holden, we have further evidence of Pauls deep-seated anti-gay views. Holden unearthed a little-noticed 2013 interview in which Paul effectively tried to marry his libertarian views with his opposition to gay equality, declaring that he supports rights for individuals, but not those for groups and not those based on behavior.

I dont think Ive ever used the word gay rights, because I dont really believe in rights based on your behavior, Paul said.

Set aside the patent offensiveness of Pauls notion that being gay is a behavior its an enduring and intrinsic identity, and Pauls statement reduces it to a matter of carnality. Whats particularly striking is that Paul wholly ignores that millions of gay Americans have been denied equal rights because they are gay, which is the very reason a gay rights movement I hope I didnt offend you, senator exists.

In 13 states, gay people are still denied the right to marry, and while were proceeding inexorably toward nationwide marriage equality, that will hardly spell the end of the communitys problems. The Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles estimated in 2011that 40 percent of gay, lesbian, and bisexual workers will experience some manner of employment discrimination in their lifetime; in 29 states, thats perfectly legal. LGBT people are also disproportionately targeted for hate crimes, and as Indiana reminded us this past week, many religious conservatives still see gay people as a substantial burden to their livelihoods.

But please, Rand Paul, enlighten us more with arguments gleaned from the College Libertarian club.

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Rand Paul slams gay rights in unearthed 2013 interview: I dont really believe in rights based on your behavior