

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) (Mike Theiler/Reuters/REUTERS)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says in a new interview that Republicans should embrace a more tolerant view of those who don't hold conservative positions on social issues.

"I think that the Republican Party, in order to get bigger, will have to agree to disagree on social issues," Paul told vocativ.com. "The Republican Party is not going to give up on having quite a few people who do believe in traditional marriage. But the Republican Party also has to find a place for young people and others who don’t want to be festooned by those issues."

Paul's comments harken back somewhat to former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels's (R) call for a "truce" on social issues within the GOP. The comment at the time drew a rebuke from social conservatives.

At that same time, those groups aren't as influential in today's Republican Party, where an increasing number of people now support gay marriage, for instance.