Rand Paul Still Thinking About Thinking About Running for President

Republican senator Rand Paul took to the airwaves to make his second public comment in three days about his aspirations for the presidency.

Republican senator Rand Paul took to the airwaves to make his second public comment in three days about his aspirations for the presidency.

The thought has crossed my mind. I am seriously thinking about it, but I'm also very serious about family considerations.

The comment comes not long after telling the Detroit Economic Club that while he'd like to run for office, his wife would nix the idea.

If I’m a very able politician, I’ll tell you in a year whether I’m able to persuade my wife. Right now, I don’t know yet, but I thank you for your interest.

At that dinner, where Paul laid out an economic plan that could help bail out the bankrupt city, he also discussed his party in larger, more national terms, suggesting that it become more inclusive, saying it needed more people with "tattoos" and "ponytails."

The comments are certainly not the equivalent of starting an exploratory committee, but the fact that he's strongly hinted at it on multiple occasions would seem to imply meaningful consideration. The Tea Party-endorsed senator from Kentucky would provide a harder-right option to contrast the relative centrism of the presumed front-runner, New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Polls show Paul among the top perceived options among the Republican nominee crop.

Unsurprisingly, these remarks did not dull his typical candor during the rest of his appearance, arguing against bills proposed by the Democrats that would extend federal unemployment benefits for another year, because the extension would "do a disservice" to workers who can't find jobs.