In an apparent effort to toughen up his image, Republican Sen. Rand Paul chose the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown to serve as a backdrop during his April presidential campaign announcement tour.

Paul will make the first announcement in his home state of Kentucky April 7, then head to New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa and Nevada to complete the 5-day announcement tour. His backdrop in South Carolina will be the USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor, reported Politico Playbook.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz became the first official candidate to enter the race Monday, with an announcement before a crowd of evangelicals at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. (RELATED: Ted Cruz: ‘Imagine A Conservative President)

Secretary of State John Kerry also announced his bid for president in front of the USS Yorktown in 2003, when he faced wartime president George W. Bush.

Paul’s libertarian image could get him into trouble on foreign policy in the race. He’s working to differentiate himself from his father Ron Paul’s isolationist foreign policy, saying he supports “peace through strength.” (VIDEO: Rubio: Rand Paul Has Become Chief Cheerleader Of Obama’s Foreign Policy)

Follow Rachel on Twitter

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.