Name: Randal Howard “Rand” Paul
Party: Republican
What he does now: United States senator representing Kentucky. First elected in 2010, Paul sits on the Senate Foreign Relations, Education, Health, Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees, among others.
What he used to do: Practiced ophthalmology for 20 years before running for Senate. In recent years, he has performed pro bono eye surgeries in Kentucky and Guatemala.
Declared as a candidate: April 7, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky.
In his own words: “We need to return to our founding principles, stand up for the entire Bill of Rights. Our future can include a road back to prosperity and back to respect home and abroad. It should include a balanced budget and a simple, fair tax system. A government that protects your rights and your security. It should include a stronger, better and more agile military.” (Conservative Political Action Conference, Feb. 27, 2015)
Family tree: Paul isn’t the first member of his family to run for president. His father, former TexasRep. Ron Paul, also sought the office, not once but three times -- unsuccessfully. Paul has four siblings. He’s married to Kelley Ashby Paul, and has three sons.
How he met his wife: At a 1989 backyard oyster roast in Atlanta. Paul was smitten with Kelley’s “really killer outfit,” he told Vogue. Kelley, on the other hand, thought Paul looked “about eighteen.”
Potential baggage: His father’s brand of politics. Case and point: The same day the younger Paul discussed running for president with other candidates at the conservative Freedom Partners Forum in January 2015, his father delivered a speech on secession and dissolution of centralized governments at a libertarian conference in Houston.
Early political experience: Paul took a shine to the family business working on his father’s House and Senate campaigns in the 1970’s. His first taste of presidential politics reportedly came in 1976, when his father, then the head of Ronald Reagan’s Texas delegation, brought him to theRepublican National Convention in Missouri.
Most memorable moment as a senator: In March 2013 Paul delivered a 12 hour filibuster of John Brennan’s confirmation as CIA Director to protest the Obama administration’s drone program.
