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By Eric Bradner, CNN

updated 1:36 PM EST, Thu December 18, 2014

Sen. Rand Paul is exploring the possibility of running for Senate re-election and president at the same time in 2016.

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Washington (CNN) -- Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is threatening to ask courts to stop Republican Rand Paul from running for the Republican presidential nomination and re-election to the Senate at the same time.

"The law is clear. You can't be on the ballot twice for two offices," Grimes, the Democrat who challenged soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this fall, told WHAS in Louisville.

READ: McConnell 'almost certainly' endorsing Rand Paul in 2016

Her comments came in Grimes' first interview after losing by 15 percentage points to McConnell. Republicans in Kentucky are pushing to change the state law to allow Paul to appear on the ballot twice, but Democrats who control the statehouse have objected.

Grimes said as the state's chief election officer, she won't be "bullied" by Paul.

"We'll look to the court for any guidance that is needed," Grimes said. "And at the end of the day, we're not going to be bullied. I've done my job as secretary of state for the people of Kentucky and I'll continue to do that."

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Grimes: Paul can't run for two offices at once

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is the latest potential presidential candidate to weigh in on policy changes to Cuba and the libertarian leaning Republican's position splits from other Republicans who are also considering a presidential run.

Paul told Tom Roten of News Talk 800 in West Virginia that the 50-year embargo "just hasn't worked" and normalizing relations with the island nation is "probably a good idea."

"If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn't seem to be working and probably it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship," he said.

Potential challengers, Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, both of Florida, denounced President Barack Obama's decision to open diplomatic and economic ties with Cuba. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas also slammed the deal.

Bush called it a "misstep" that "undermines America's credibility and undermines the quest for a free and democratic Cuba."

And Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, vowed to use his role as incoming chairman of a Foreign Relations subcommittee to block progress on policy.

"The White House has conceded everything," Rubio said, calling the policy "disgraceful."

Paul, who has often bumps heads with members of his party over foreign policy, expressed a similar position to another potential presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.

"Despite good intentions, our decades-long policy of isolation has only strengthened the Castro regime's grip on power," Clinton said in a statement. "As I have said, the best way to bring change to Cuba is to expose its people to the values, information, and material comforts of the outside world."

Leigh Ann Caldwell

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Rand Paul Breaks With Rubio and Bush Over Cuba

Rand Paul Writes Immigration Bill
The first official piece of legislation opposing President Obama #39;s executive action on Immigration hits the floor in Congress. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul proposed a new bill that would essentiall...

By: NextNewsNetwork

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Rand Paul Writes Immigration Bill - Video

Sen. Rand Paul Appears on Fox #39;s The Kelly File with Megyn Kelly - December 16, 2014

By: SenatorRandPaul

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Sen. Rand Paul Appears on Fox's The Kelly File with Megyn Kelly - December 16, 2014 - Video

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Sept. 17, 2014, file photo. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) more >

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, took a direct shot at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bushs support for Common Core educational standards Tuesday, shortly after Mr. Bush announced he was actively exploring a bid for the White House in 2016.

Maybe he has more ground he needs to gain. Hes been out of this for a while, so maybe he needs to get back in and practice up a bit. I dont know, Mr. Paul said on Fox News The Kelly File of the timing of Mr. Bushs announcement.

Mr. Paul said hes still a few more months away from an announcement of his own on a possible White House bid in 2016, and went on to say that Mr. Bushs support for the Common Core standards would make it difficult for him in a Republican primary.

You know, Ronald Reagan ran on the platform of getting rid of the Department of Education, Mr. Paul said in video flagged by Mediaite. Weve always believed in decentralized education. So for Jeb Bush to run in the primary will be very, very difficult because if youre going to be for a national curriculum and for Common Core and No Child Left Behind, this accumulation of power in Washington, thats not very popular.

Indeed, Mr. Bushs positions on education and immigration might not sit well with many GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ardent of party activists.

Speaking at a gathering last month of an educational foundation Mr. Bush founded after his tenure as Florida governor, he said he respected those who have weighed in on Common Core but that in his view, the rigor of the Common Core State Standards must be the new minimum in classrooms.

Mr. Bush is also a proponent of immigration reform and has said that many illegal immigrants come to the country out of an act of love for family members.

Time Magazine also noted that Mr. Pauls political action committee is already taking out Google search ads on Mr. Bushs name, including one that includes the text: We need leaders who will stand against common core.

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Rand Paul hits Jeb Bush over Common Core