Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Saturday warned Republican lawmakers that they need to adapt to changing public opinion.
“What I do believe is Texas is going to be a Democrat state within 10 years if we don’t change,” he said at a Harris County, Tex. GOP dinner, according to Politico. “That means we evolve, it doesn’t mean we give up on what we believe in, but it means we have to be a welcoming party.”
Paul spoke about immigration reform and explained his approach to policy for the “touchy” issue.
“We won’t all agree on it,” he said. “But I’ll tell you, what I will say and what I’ll continue to say, and it’s not an exact policy prescription … but if you want to work and you want a job and you want to be part of America, we’ll find a place for you.”
Paul assured the audience that although he thinks the GOP needs to tweak its approach, he still feels strongly about securing the border.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t believe in securing the border first, doesn’t mean I don’t believe it’s important we have a secure country,” he said. “But it does mean we have to have a different attitude.”
The senator, considered a potential front-runner in the 2016 presidential race, took the opportunity to criticize his possible competition, Hillary Clinton.
When talking about Benghazi, Paul said that the attack “should limit Hillary Clinton from ever holding high office, when she was asked for reinforcements, she turned down reinforcements, and we should never, ever have a commander-in-chief who won’t send reinforcements.”
