A new poll reveals that Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is leading the way as the top presidential nominee in the Republican Party.
The Public Policy Polling poll, which was released Thursday, shows that Paul is the top pick among with 16 percent of GOP primary voters stating that they would vote for him if the election were held today. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan all tied at second place with 13 percent. In addition, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz earned 12 percent of votes while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio trails at 10 percent.
According to the Daily Caller, Paul has won over somewhat conservative and very conservative voters. However, very conservative voters are most fond of Sen. Cruz, who is the top choice for 20 percent of them.
In a hypothetical presidential showdown with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic contender for president, Paul trails Clinton 39 percent to 47 percent. Rubio, however, would do slightly better, trailing 40 percent to 45 percent.
The Policy Mic notes the contrasting beliefs shared by popular GOP leaders Paul and Christie.
Paul has been very vocal about pushing libertarian ideology as more Americans show concern over the leaked NSA surveillance programs and drone strikes abroad. On the other hand, Christie would most likely favor maintaining a strong military in addition to supporting covert operations and surveillance programs. Paul opposes such action unless it was related to direct self-defense and has repeatedly criticized the Patriot Act as intrusive.
The only question now is if the GOP will look to Paul to lead the party into a new, more libertarian era that could attract more Independent and even Democratic voters.