Ron Paul, a former presidential candidate and longtime congressman, is mum on a potential presidential bid by his son, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. But he does have a few opinions about his son’s potential GOP rivals in 2016.

“I’d say they were pretty average, status quo, middle-of-the-roaders,” he told the Tampa Bay Times in an interview ahead of a lecture at the University of South Florida on Wednesday.

The libertarian champion was referring to a pair of Floridians, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, who are on the short list for a 2016 bid for the White House.

But Mr. Paul — an opponent of the Iraq War, the war on drugs and federal snooping on Americans’ telecommunications — played it cool when asked if his son will run, or if he would play a role in the campaign.

“I guess we will know next year,” he told the Tampa Bay Times.

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