Rand Paul in Asheville: 2016 a 'marathon not a sprint'

ASHEVILLE — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul thinks Congress needs to "exert the power of the purse" to rein in stalemate amid fears of a government shutdown and concerns over a leadership vacuum following the announcement of House Speaker John Boehner's resignation.

Speaking Saturday in Asheville, where he came for private fundraisers, the 2016 presidential candidate and Republican Kentucky senator also said he's optimistic he can turn around his plummeting rankings in the polls and stagnant fundraising and described himself as a "voice of reason" on both sides of the aisle.

"This is a marathon not a sprint," Paul said of the presidential race.

Asked about concerns that he can't actively campaign for 2016 and keep his Senate seat in GOP hands, the libertarian from Bowling Green said, "We’re in it for the duration in the presidential race."

In Public Policy Polling's most recent North Carolina poll, Paul was at less than 1 percent, while GOP front-runner Donald Trump was leading with 26 percent. Nationally, Paul is polling at 2 percent, while Trump leads the field with 27 percent. This week, Paul announced visits to 11 college campuses across Iowa in an effort to reach younger voters.

Paul's support even among the party's like-minded wing is largely thought to be sagging, with GOP rival Sen. Ted Cruz picking up his likely support in states like New Hampshire.

Paul said he thinks the polls will be closer in January, and described himself as a candidate who has demonstrated his capability to compromise and his "restrained" foreign policy approach that includes being opposed to a no-fly zone over Syria.

He cited his work with Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden on privacy bills to rein in what he sees as government overreach in collecting phone records and his work with Democrat Cory Booker on expunging minor drug crimes like marijuana possession.

"I think I've actually shown that I do have the ability to work with the other side," Paul said.

He said there's an enormous amount of waste in government.

"I think we need to exert the power of the purse, which means all spending should expire and then we should start anew," he said.

That doesn't mean a government shutdown, but letting spending expire and then "the burden should be on those who want to spend money to come up with the votes," he said.

Asked about his vision for the economy and solutions to issues such as affordable housing in places like Asheville, where many young people feel priced out, Paul touted the primacy of the private sector and need for a government that is "not involved in every nook and cranny of our lives."

And he said both Trump and likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton wouldn't reduce government.

"I think they'd be two sides of a coin that really represents the same in many ways," Paul said.

He supported earlier comments he's made that Trump isn't a "real conservative," noting the real estate mogul's support for higher taxes and eminent domain.

"He's Jolly Well Good with the government," Paul said.

Asked if he supports more protections on people who can buy guns in the wake of three shootings at U.S. colleges in the past two weeks, Paul said more self-defense is the answer. He highlighted the commonalities in places the shootings have occurred, not, he said, at police stations, but in places where guns are prohibited.

"They tend to go where it is well-known that there are no guns and no self-defense, so I think more self-defense is part of the answer," he said.