Rand Paul Opposes Common Core, Unlike Some Other Presidential Hopefuls

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) was quick to remind
Republican voters last week that he is against the Common Core
national education standards and always has been. Not
all Republican presidential aspirants—cough cough,
Jeb Bush—can say the same.

According to
CNN.com:

If there’s a Republican candidate out there — let’s just say
there’s a hypothetical one that’s for Common Core. I’m saying that
that hypothetical candidate that’s for Common Core probably doesn’t
have much chance of winning in a Republican primary,” the Kentucky
Republican told Breitbart.com.

His comments, published Monday, come from an interview last week
while Paul was in North Carolina campaigning for Senate hopeful
Thom Tillis and Rep. Walter Jones.

Paul didn’t mention Bush or any other potential 2016 candidate
by name, but the former Florida governor has been a vocal backer of
Common Core, a set of national education standards for English and
math.

Paul has previously weighed in on his disdain for the program,
saying in August that he believes education standards “should be
developed locally” and reiterating his wish to eliminate the
Department of Education.

“The kids are tested to death, I think, and not necessarily any
smarter,” he said at a Republican event in Urbandale, Iowa. “Is
testing good? Yes, but I would let local people figure that
out.”

Among possible Republican presidential candidates, Paul is in
excellent shape to translate anti-Common Core sentiment into an
advantage. Some other potential contenders—like Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal—are recent converts to the anti-Common Core cause, and
still others—like Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—remain
steadfast supporters of the standardization effort.

While Common Core draws heavy support from moderate Republican
governors, it is toxic to the conservative base. Intriguingly, it’s
unpopular among some left-leaning groups—as well as many parents
and teachers—giving the anti-standardization movement some
bipartisan cred. These factors should bode well for an anti-Common
Core candidate in 2016, and Rand Paul is well-suited to be that
guy.

More from Reason on Common Core here.