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In just his first week as an official candidate, he's faced the dual headwinds of negative ads highlighting conservative criticism over his foreign policy views as well as charges of sexism for his combative reactions in high-profile interviews.

The early days of a presidential campaign are critically important: It's a first shot for candidates to define themselves at a time when they'll attract a swell of generally positive media coverage and get screen time in front of audiences that don't normally pay attention to politics.

READ: Paul best GOP bet in three swing states, poll says

And this early on Paul was only the second candidate to jump in the race after Ted Cruz newcomers face an onslaught of political media coverage. That means closer than usual scrutiny of a candidate's record and statements, along with incessant horse race evaluations of based on optics and the logistics of campaign rollouts.

"No matter how well-known a candidate may be going into a roll out tour, the goal of any presidential announcement event is to provide the optics and visuals that say, 'Meet the next president of the United States,'" said John Legittino, who led Mitt Romney's national event production.

For Paul, it's widely viewed that his Tuesday announcement in Louisville, Kentucky, successfully set the tone for his campaign. He aimed to appear like a nontraditional candidate with diverse appeal that would help expand the Republican base and make him more electable in a general election. The kickoff event was followed by a media blitz and an early voting state tour that took him through New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa. On Saturday, he completes the tour in Nevada.

It was during his media appearances that the narrative of his rollout started shifting gears. On Wednesday morning, Paul clashed with NBC's Savannah Guthrie over what he considered editorialized questions and tried to direct her on how she should conduct an interview. The tense exchange quickly spread and comparisons were drawn to his heated reaction in a different interview two months ago when he shushed a female reporter.

And when Paul was in New Hampshire later on Wednesday, he got aggravated with an Associated Press reporter who asked the senator specifics about his views on abortion ban exceptions.

SEE: Rand Paul says Dems should be grilled on abortion, too

"I gave you about a five-minute answer. Put in my five-minute answer," a frustrated Paul said.

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Rand Paul hits bumps in first week of campaign - CNN.com