Washington (CNN) - Sen. Rand Paul teams up with another Democrat Tuesday in his effort to restore voting rights for convicted criminals who've served time in prison.
The Kentucky Republican will hold a panel discussion on Capitol Hill with Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the latest high-profile Democrat publicly working with Paul to rally support around a policy or idea.
Paul's "odd couple" pairings appear to be growing more quickly as the first-term senator gets closer to 2016. So is he trying to unite the Senate, one-by-one? Or is he trying to broaden his name recognition and scope as he lays the groundwork for a likely presidential bid?
Regardless, it's a risky move in today's political climate. Aligning with Democrats should theoretically be the kiss of death for a Republican 2016 hopeful who wants to rev up primary voters.
While bipartisan legislative achievements look good in general elections, they can taint candidates as they try to shore up the GOP vote. Just ask Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, whose political star fell somewhat among the Republican base after he helped pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill through the Senate last year.
But Paul's work with Democrats appears to be limited and strategic: He focuses mostly on policies involving criminal justice reform and federal surveillance programs, two issues that aren't seen as hyper partisan....."
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http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...mocratic-buds/
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