SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Republican presidential prospect Rand Paul rallied Missouri Republicans in Springfield on Saturday, calling on party faithful to reach out to a broader set of Americans than it has before.

Speaking to a packed ballroom at the Missouri Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Days gathering, Paul, a Republican senator from Kentucky who has made no secret his interest in running for president in 2016, said Republicans “need a party that looks more like America.

“I think we have a chance of growing the base of our party,” Paul said, if Republicans focus on allowing for school choice, making drug laws more fair to poor Americans, and implementing “economic freedom zones” to dramatically lower taxes in areas of high unemployment.

Paul was in Missouri on Saturday at the invitation of U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, who introduced him as “the Senate’s leading advocate for freedom.” Blunt said he has sponsored more than 130 bills with Paul, despite the fact that he has disagreed with him at times on certain issues.

“There is no single member of the Senate that I agree with on everything, and that includes Rand Paul,” Blunt said.

Paul and Blunt railed against perceived overspending and overreach by government regulations. Blunt noted that he and Paul sponsored legislation together that would require Congress to approve many government regulations that would have a significant economic impact.

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