One of the first fights of the Republican presidential primary season will be over U.S. spying.

Congress’s upcoming debate over reforming government surveillance and extending portions of the Patriot Act will ensnare Republicans with their eyes on the White House — drawing a clear divide between the hawkish and libertarian-leaning contenders.

Ahead of a critical June 1 deadline, GOP candidates have already begun to weigh in. 

“Sadly, one GOP candidate thinks the NSA’s [National Security Agency] violation of your rights is ‘very important,’ ” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted over the weekend. “On day one in the Oval Office, I will END the NSA’s illegal assault on your rights.”

The comment was a swipe at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who has jumped at the opportunity to defend the NSA’s collection of data about millions of people in the U.S. Not only is the program in the best interests of the nation, he has said, but it’s also “the best part of the Obama administration.”  

The combative rhetoric, from Paul especially, is sure to heat up in coming weeks, as lawmakers begin debating proposals to reauthorize an expiring provision in the Patriot Act that gives the NSA authority to collect phone records without a warrant.

The debate could be a chance to shine for Paul, who called the NSA program unconstitutional in a lawsuit against the Obama administration last year, though he will have to walk a fine line between sticking to his guns and alienating GOP leadership.

“The problem here is, when you go through the Republican primary, particularly one as crowded as this … you’ve got to make sure that the core supporters are with you from the outset, because the way you’re going to win this is by basically growing [that base] over time,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist. “If they’re not with you, and they think that you’ve flip-flopped on this issue, which is so important to his supporters, he’d be dead in the water.”

Read more from Julian Hattem at The Hill

There are not many people who once fought on the same side as Fidel Castro and are now heroes to American social conservatives.

But that is exactly the trajectory taken by Rafael Cruz, father of 2016 presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

The elder Cruz now regrets his fight on the side of the pro-Castro rebels in his native Cuba, ascribing it to dislike of Castro’s arch-enemy, U.S.-backed President Fulgencio Batista, rather than any sympathy for Communism. 

But it is his red-hot rhetoric that appalls liberal groups and enthuses social conservatives. 

That, in turn, makes his son one of three GOP hopefuls this year whose relationships with their fathers bring complicated political dynamics. 

While the fathers of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush both held elective office and have been in the political spotlight for years, the elder Cruz will be under national scrutiny for the first time with his son’s run for president. 

Rafael excites grassroots activists, but he has provided plenty of fodder for Cruz opponents to use. 

“Look, you have to look at it from Ted’s perspective,” said GOP consultant Ford O’Connell. “Rafael is someone who can really fire up the social conservatives. But [Ted Cruz’s aides] have got to say to him, ‘The campaign’s started, so when you go out, you have to keep the car between the white lines.’ ”

Read more from Niall Stanage at The Hill

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.

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.

Republican strategist Ford O'Connell, who worked on Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, said candidates need to understand the level of attention and close examination that presidential candidates can be exhaustive.

"Even when you breathe, it's news," he said. "There's always going to be mistakes, the question is how do you handle those mistakes and move forward.

Taking on the media can sometimes be strategic for candidates, O'Connell said, but candidates need to pick their battles wisely.

"What they want to see you do is be diplomatic about it and then be able to triangulate and return fire when it's something really, really big," he said.

Whether those contentious moments will have an effect on his campaign is unclear.

Read more from Ashley Killough at CNN

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a first-term senator known for being unafraid to buck his party on some issues, has rarely strayed from near-universal Republican stances opposing Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

But some observers believe he has taken a more nuanced position on climate change that could serve him well if he becomes the Republican candidate for president in 2016.

Paul, who announced his candidacy for president April 7 in Louisville, Ky., has opposed EPA regulations to clarify the scope of the Clean Water Act and regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, and he previously said the agency has “done more harm than good” since its inception. 

In 2011, Paul led the charge to the Senate floor to void the EPA's cross-state air pollution rule, calling the final rule “overzealous” and urging a more “balanced approach.” The Kentucky Republican also has pushed legislation that would require all economically significant regulations to gain congressional approval. 

Despite those efforts—and Paul's 9 percent lifetime voting record from the League of Conservation Voters—he voted in January for an amendment to the Keystone XL pipeline bill stating that human activity contributes to climate change. While the amendment failed, observers said Paul's support for the measure is evidence of a more subtle approach to environmental issues should he become the Republican candidate for president.

“It’s something that could definitely help him in the general election, but in the primary they could tie him around the neck,” Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist who advised Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during his 2008 presidential run, told Bloomberg BNA.

Read more from Anthony Adragna and Rachel Leven at Bloomberg BNA

Rand Paul’s first day on the campaign trail was marred by a high-profile fight with NBC' “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie that raised questions about whether he is ready for primetime. 

Video of Paul telling Guthrie how she should do her job went viral on social media, placing his attitude toward female reporters in the spotlight.

The Kentucky GOP senator was ultimately forced to give a partial mea culpa, even as he sought to dispel the notion that his earlier pushback was sexist. 

But the damage may have already been done for Paul.

“If this were the first time this had happened, that would be one thing,” GOP strategist Ford O’Connell told The Hill. “But I’m not sure it is all that clear to Rand Paul that, when you’re running for president, it is not a good thing if you launch into a diatribe.”

The incident with Guthrie was reminiscent of a February interview with CNBC’s Kelly Evans when the senator “shushed” the TV host and told her to “calm down.”

By Wednesday evening, a less-combative Paul was telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that “I think I’ve been universally short-tempered and testy with both male and female reporters.”

Read more from Niall Stanage at The Hill

Ron Paul, father of Rand Paul, has always been an original thinker. 

As a longtime member of Congress from Texas, on paper a Republican but in posture a Libertarian, Congressman Paul rarely met a spending bill he could like. He was an avowed isolationist and civil libertarian, voting against the Iraq War and the USA Patriot Act. His nickname on Capitol Hill was “Dr. No.”

Now his son, Senator Paul (R) of Kentucky, is following in his footsteps – sort of. He’s more “libertarian-leaning” than big-L Libertarian. He’s a physician like his dad, but no one confuses him with Dr. No.

When Paul launches his presidential campaign Tuesday at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Ky., his father will be there. But his presence will reflect an uneasy reality for the freshman senator: The junior Paul needs his dad, and a similar devotion of core supporters, even as he needs to create some distance from him.

A big challenge for Paul in selling himself to Republican voters is his noninterventionist approach on foreign policy. The 2016 race could end up being dominated by security concerns, given the rise of the Islamic State and the Iran nuclear challenge. By the morning of his announcement day, Paul had yet to react publicly to the Obama administration’s nuclear framework accord with Iran. But one group didn’t hesitate to use an old Paul statement on Iran to attack him.

“Obviously, national security and foreign policy are going to be tricky for Rand Paul,” says Republican strategist Ford O’Connell.  “If they are high on voter and donor interest, he’ll have a hard time gaining traction.” 

Read more from Linda Feldmann at The Christian Science Monitor

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is poised to become the first top-tier presidential candidate from either party to make marijuana reform a major campaign issue.

Paul, who will announce his White House bid on Tuesday, has argued forcefully that states should be allowed to adopt their own policies on the use of medical marijuana without fear of federal interference.

He introduced a bill in March that would prevent federal prosecution of patients in states where medical marijuana has been legalized.

He’s separately offered support for the growth of industrial hemp, and worked to win Senate passage of legislation in 2014 to allow states to grow hemp for research.

More broadly, Paul has called for a serious review of the nation’s policies on illegal drugs. He’s an outspoken critic of decades-long prison sentences for the sale or possession of marijuana, which he has called “ridiculous.”

Of course, Paul’s policies on pot could also backfire with older, more conservative Republicans in the GOP primaries.

While many younger Republican voters are evolving on marijuana reform, older voters still have strong reservations about pot, which could be a significant “hurdle” for Paul in the primaries, said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist who served as an adviser to John McCain in 2008.

“Older Republican voters are not exactly ecstatic about the idea of legalizing marijuana,” O’Connell said.

Read more from Tim Devaney at The Hill

Sen. Rand Paul wants to change the GOP from the inside by becoming the party’s standard-bearer in 2016.

The Kentucky Republican poised to launch a presidential bid on Tuesday thinks he can capture the Oval Office prize that eluded his father by pulling the GOP in a more libertarian direction.

His strategy, honed over four years in the Senate, is to run as a different kind of Republican, who can expand the party’s appeal to young people and minorities who have soured on the Republican brand.

The senator’s candidacy faces deep skepticism and even hostility from some GOP corners, but Republican strategists see an opening for Paul to sell himself as the person best-equipped to revitalize the GOP brand and defeat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

“He’s putting his money where his mouth is,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “Everyone from the grassroots to the establishment is frustrated over losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections, so he’s hitting on the things that could turn that around. The question is whether he can tie it all together.”

Paul is already making the electability argument to skeptical conservatives.

If Paul is not able to sell Republicans on his own foreign policy vision, it may not matter how much range he has or how many new groups he can bring into the fold.

“His success will be inversely proportional to where on the radar national security and foreign policy are for Republican voters and donors,” O’Connell said.

“If those issues remain high on their lists, he’s going to have a tough time breaking out. The only thing he can do to smooth that over is continue to claim that he’s got the best shot at taking down Clinton. If that polling stops, he’s dead in the water.” 

Read more from Jonathan Easley at The Hill

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is set to become the first heavy-hitter of the 2016 GOP primary with his announcement tomorrow — with a candidacy that threatens to pit the party’s libertarian wing against the traditionally more hawkish mainstream, now focused on Iran nuke talks and Islamic terrorism.

Paul is regarded as a top contender in a race where Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is the only declared candidate so far. A Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll of New Hampshire voters last month found Paul was the most popular Republican, with a 57 percent favorable rating, though he usually ranks third, fourth or fifth in Republican voter polls, and has been overshadowed recently by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Paul also needs to show he can raise big money, or he risks being outspent by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, among others.

GOP strategist Ford O’Connell, who advised John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, said Paul “could do well initially in the opening contests” because of the wide-open field and the “intensity of his libertarian followers.”

“But if Rand is unable to paint himself as a ‘reluctant warrior’ and is unable to get traction early in the nomination, he will be dead in the water,” O’Connell said. “A good deal of the Republican Party is what I would call ‘hawkish.’ Unlike in previous years, foreign policy and national security issues remain high on the voter-interest radar.”

Read more from Jack Encarnacao at the Boston Herald

When Rand Paul  enters the Republican presidential race Tuesday, he’ll start with an advantage few of his rivals have: A dedicated legion of supporters, well-organized and battle-tested.

But for the Kentucky senator to have a chance to win the nomination, he’ll have to expand beyond the libertarian army he inherited from his father, and fast. 

So far, reviews are mixed, as he moves closer to the more hawkish Republican mainstream on defense and foreign policy, while still stressing his libertarian-leaning views against domestic security surveillance and drug sentencing laws.

Paul is regarded as a top contender, but usually is  third, fourth or fifth in Republican voter polls. He should have some star power, but he has been overshadowed by upstart Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Paul needs to show he can raise big money, or he risks being outspent by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, among others.

To have a decent chance at the nomination, Paul must change the minds of Republican voters and donors who think he’s not strong enough on defense and foreign policy, argued Republican strategist Ford O’Connell.

O’Connell advised the 2008 presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a defense hawk who has feuded with Paul over national security issues. Paul needs to present himself as a “reluctant warrior,” O’Connell said.

Read more from David Lightman and Sean Cockerham at McClatchyDC