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In this photo taken Feb. 10, 2015, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. takes questions during an interview with The Associated Press in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington. Paul is having an easier time finding success inside the cloistered, tradition-bound Senate than on the unpredictable presidential campaign trail. There, it's a hard-to-control world where Paul's every error—even a televised, "shush"—ricochets around the internet and gets in the way of the story he's trying to tell. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Rand Paul hasn't yet declared his candidacy for president, but the Kentucky Republican already is finding the campaign trail to be a more uncomfortable place than the cloistered, tradition-bound Senate.

Out there, it's a hard-to-control world where every misstep real or perceived, and even a televised "shush" rockets around the Internet. What Paul's supporters see as feisty truth-telling is endlessly inspected for inaccuracies. He's frustrated by what draws headlines instead of his work in the Senate, which has earned praise from once-wary colleagues in both parties.

Paul last week said of his prospective White House run: "Part of the decision making process is, 'Do you have a chance? Is the message resonating? Do people believe that you can somehow win this?'"

"Because it's not really a lot of fun."

An ophthalmologist and father of three, Paul won election to the Senate in 2010 after defeating a candidate preferred by Washington Republicans in the GOP primary. In the past four years, he's earned respect for his work ethic, his willingness to negotiate and his effectiveness as an advocate for his home state of Kentucky.

"I think Rand Paul has developed into a fine United States senator and has evolved over the last four years and is more pragmatic today than he might have been when he entered," said Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson. "He's a very thoughtful and pragmatic individual right now."

Said Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, who has worked with Paul on privacy issues and ending blindness: "While we don't agree on an awful lot of policy, I've never doubted that he came to Washington with certain ideals that he wanted to make progress on. I do think folks ought to give him more credit for his willingness to work across the aisle."

That's what Paul, 52, wants to talk about as he explores whether to run for president in 2016, he said in a recent interview. But the leap from the relative sanctuary of the Senate to the unending scrutiny of the campaign can test Paul's patience, and at times, bring out the prickliest parts of his personality.

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Under microscope, Paul finds potential '16 run challenging

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In this photo taken Feb. 10, 2015, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaks in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington. Paul said he is likely to announce whether he'll run for president in 2016 sometime in March or April from his home state of Kentucky. The Kentucky Republican told reporters after a Friday speech in Louisville that he was getting closer to making a decision, but all signs point to Paul launching a campaign. Next month, he will ask the state Republican Party to create a presidential caucus in 2016. That way, Paul could run for president and re-election to his Senate seat simultaneously without appearing on the primary ballot for two offices. That's banned by Kentucky law. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Rand Paul wasn't a conventional Republican when he won a U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky, and he's not mapping out a predictable strategy as he ponders a 2016 bid for the White House.

Paul confirmed Friday that he will announce his intentions in April or May, and then he spent the day displaying an ideological and political balancing act.

"We have to be a bigger party," he told Alabama Republicans at a fundraising gala Friday evening. "I want to take that message across America. I've shown I'll go anywhere."

He takes with him the small-government libertarianism of his father, former congressman and failed presidential candidate Ron Paul. But the senator also mixes in frequent references to his "Christian faith" as he courts cultural conservatives who were wary of his father.

There's the usual blistering of President Barack Obama and his executive orders, but Paul reminds his partisan audiences that the expansion of presidential authority has spanned decades, through administrations of both major parties.

Paul calls for the conservative "boldness" of Ronald Reagan and offers GOP orthodoxy on tax and spending cuts, making him a tea party darling.

He talks tough on national defense, but also staged an actual Senate filibuster talking for hours on the chamber floor, rather than just using procedural paper delays to protest the American government's use of drones.

Meanwhile, he chides Republicans to reach into the cities for non-white votes that have eluded the GOP by particularly wide margins in Obama's two national victories. And Paul champions criminal-justice reform and plugs his work with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a black Democrat, on the issue.

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In early White House maneuvering, Paul avoids predictability

FILE: April 1, 2014: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.(AP)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul took his first step toward running for president with state party leaders on Saturday endorsing his plan for a presidential caucus in 2016.

The move clears the way for Paul to run for president and for re-election to his Senate seat without breaking a state law that bans candidates from appearing on the ballot twice in the same election.

The state GOP's central committee must still sign off on the proposal in August. But, more importantly for Paul, Saturday's vote by the Republican Party of Kentucky's executive committee was an early endorsement of his unusual plan for dual campaigns ahead of a wide open Republican presidential primary.

"I just want to be treated like many other candidates around the country who have not been restricted," Paul told reporters after the vote.

Paul has characterized himself as a "different kind of Republican," and campaigning for two offices at once would certainly set him apart among the Republican field. Of the numerous potential Republican candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is the only one also up for re-election in 2016. Rubio has said he would not run for both offices.

Paul has gone to great lengths to reach out to minority voters, including sponsoring bills that would eliminate sentencing disparities in what he has called a racially biased criminal justice system and endorsing plans to restore the voting rights of some nonviolent convicted felons. But Saturday's vote was so important that Paul missed the events in Selma, Alabama, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights march led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. And he missed an agricultural forum in Iowa, an early caucus state, where many of his Republican rivals spoke.

Saturday's vote was unanimous, but it came after two hours of debate behind closed doors. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan made the motion, but he left quickly after the meeting without taking questions from reporters. Both Paul and state party Chairman Steve Robertson said the party was united. U.S. Reps. Bret Guthrie and Thomas Massie attended the meeting and others, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have indicated their support.

"I do think it's important that we kind of move forward with this. And the anxiety is there. I mean, I think about that, too," Guthrie said. "I just think it's worth it. I think it's worth the work."

The state GOP has established a committee to study the issue and have a report ready by the Aug. 22 central committee meeting.

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Kentucky GOP clears path for Paul's dual campaigns

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, addresses the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) February 27, 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland. Alex Wong, Getty Images

As President Obama's administration mulls a proposal to ban armor-piercing "green tip" bullets, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is urging his supporters to help thwart the move, calling it a "backdoor route to imposing President Obama's gun control."

"Recently, Obama's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) announced they will ban .223 M855 ammunition," Paul wrote in a letter posted to the website of his political action committee, RANDPAC. "The BATF has a March 17th deadline to hear public comments on this outrageous assault on the Second Amendment. And I'm counting on your immediate action to help RANDPAC flood the agency with a message from America's pro-gun majority."

The bullets in question were exempted from BATF's restrictions on armor-piercing bullets in 1986 under a determination that they were "primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes." Because the bullet can be used in a number of newer handguns, though, BATF announced last month that it would move to withdraw the exemption.

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Regulators say the so-called "green tip" rounds used with AR-15 assault rifles can penetrate bullet-proof vests, while critics say any potential ...

The agency has said the move is not a "final determination," giving the public 30 days to provide input on the proposal and saying it would make a decision "after considering those comments and making any appropriate adjustments."

The administration has backed the move, saying such armor-piercing bullets in handguns could endanger police. "This seems to be an area where everyone should agree: that if there are armor-piercing bullets available that can fit into easily concealed weapons, that it puts our law enforcement at considerably more risk," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said last week. "So I'd put this in the category of common-sense steps that the government can take to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans while also making sure that our law enforcement officers who are walking the beat every day can do their jobs just a little bit more safely."

If the ban moves forward, BATF has said it will not criminalize possession of green-tip bullets, but it will prohibit their continued sale.

Gun rights advocates, though, are hoping to stop the ban before it goes into effect. Chris Cox, a top lobbyist with the National Rifle Association, wrote last week in a Washington Times op-ed that "Mr. Obama's latest missive has nothing to do with police or public safety. Rather, this is about a president who is desperate to enact his reckless gun control agenda before he leaves office."

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Sen. Rand Paul: "Stop Obama's ammo ban"

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) appeared peeved Thursday when an interviewer at a technology conference asked him to weigh in again on the national debate he helped fuel over vaccines last month.

Thanks for not getting into vaccines, Paul said at the end of a two-minute exchange, eliciting some awkward laughter from a largely conservative crowd at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters. Im glad we agreed beforehand not to get into that.

The interviewer was self-described libertarian Michael Arrington, who founded the blog TechCrunch.

Arrington said later that he had no agreement with Paul, and that the two were joking. But the exchange at a technology conference underscored how Paul may face a lingering problem on a sensitive issue as he contemplates a presidential run.

You seem convinced that theres a link between autism and vaccines. You didnt actually say that--, Arrington said.

Well I didnt actually say that, Paul interrupted.

Then Arrington read Paul his own controversial quote from an interview he gave last month to CNBC: Ive heard many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.

Paul tried to clarify that quote again, insisting he was misunderstood.

The point is that I have heard of I mean who hasnt ever met a child who has a profound disability and in the parents mind they see a connection, Paul said. But I didnt allege there is a connection. I said I heard of people who believe there is a connection. I do think that vaccines are a good idea. Ive been vaccinated. My kids have been vaccinated.

Paul, an eye doctor, then began a discourse into the history of vaccines and their value in fighting infections. Then Arrington asked if parents should have the right to refuse to vaccinate their children.

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Rand Paul irritated by vaccine questions