Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said in an interview with The New York Times published Thursday that the Republican party cannot “completely flip” on social issues like gay marriage, but it can learn to embrace a “bigger tent” of ideas.

The Times article focused on the idea of a growing Libertarian movement, which Paul said is more moderate on social issues than liberal. He went on to say that when it comes to the GOP, “the party can’t become the opposite of what it is” on social matters.

“If you tell people from Alabama, Mississippi or Georgia, ‘You know what, guys, we’ve been wrong, and we’re gonna be the pro-gay-marriage party,’ they’re either gonna stay home or — I mean, many of these people joined the Republican Party because of these social issues,” the congressman said. “So I don’t think we can completely flip.”

However, Paul said the GOP could eventually learn to “agree to disagree” and should embrace a “bigger tent” of ideals if it wants to win elections.

“I think the party will evolve. It’ll either continue to lose, or it’ll become a bigger place where there’s a mixture of opinions,” he said.

h/t The Hill