Rand Paul Says Romney Must Do More to Win Ron Paul Supporters

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul, says Mitt Romney will need to be more aggressive about fighting for a balanced budget and limited government to win over his father's supporters.

"You have to really truly believe in balancing the budget," Rand Paul said in an exclusive interview with TheBlaze. "That means cutting government spending. Slowing down just the rate of growth of government spending probably isn't going to be enough for a lot of Ron Paul people."

With the retirement of the senator's father and libertarian icon, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, at the end of this year, many expect Sen. Paul to play a key role in integrating the message of the GOP's libertarian-wing into the national party platform for years to come.

In a discussion with TheBlaze Senior Contributor Mallory Factor last week, Sen. Paul said that the Romney campaign can still win over undecided voters who had supported his father's campaign by fighting for balancing the budget and limited government as outlined in the Constitution.

Sen. Paul announced his support for Mitt Romney in June shortly after his father acknowledged in an email to supporters that his delegate total was "not enough to win the nomination."

The Kentucky senator delivered a key speech at the Republican National Convention last month where he emphasized the American dream and the American people's personal ingenuity. Outside of the well-received words, his high-profile presence at the convention was important for the national party hoping to win over Republicans and right-leaning independents who supported Ron Paul, a candidate who has still not endorsed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. A further rift between the GOP and Ron Paul followers came earlier in the convention when delegates walked off the floor in protest after rules were passed that they saw aimed at curbing the power of grassroots supporters.

In a recent visit to TheBlaze office in New York, Sen. Paul said that although he wants to see Mitt Romney beat President Barack Obama this November, if Republicans do win the White House and a majority in the Senate, he is not a guarantee to vote down the party line if they do not present ideas to realistically address the problems our nation faces. The senator said specifically that he is"not a guarantee to vote for a Republican budget either, unless it balances in a finite period of time."

The Pauls' libertarian brand of conservatism has attracted attention for its ability to reach out to voters that the Republican Party has often had difficulty connecting to--like younger Americans and anti-war advocates. Sen. Paul told Mallory Factor that he believes the GOP could make gains in Democratic strongholds in the Northeast or West Coast by appealing to libertarian-minded voters with less aggressive positions on foreign policy and more tolerant views on issues relating to marijuana sentencing.

Having recently returned to Congress after summer recess, Sen. Paul also explained why Republicans in Washington have not been able to repeal Obamacare, and what they will do moving forward on this issue and addressing executive overreach on foreign policy.

Watch Sen. Rand Paul discuss these issues with TheBlaze below: