Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I) chimed in on Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) deciding to step down in November as Senate GOP leader.

Kennedy posted on X that it's time to put leaders in power "who won't kowtow to the military contractors or push us deeper into foreign conflicts."

We need representation who will prioritize American wellness over all else. I believe Rand Paul would be an incredible successor. He’s shown great judgment and has the grit to put hardworking Americans first.

Mitch McConnell, who has served in the Senate for almost 40 years, announced he'll step down this November.

Part of public service is about knowing when to usher in a new generation. It’s time to promote leaders in Washington, DC who won’t kowtow to the military contractors or…

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 28, 2024

For some time, there was speculation that Kennedy would select one of the following as his running mate: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), former Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI), or Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). But now, it seems like he would like to see Sen. Paul as the Senate GOP leader.

When Paul came out with the "Never Nikki" [Haley] slogan, he stated that he liked "various aspects of several candidates," which included former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. He added that he was also interested in Kennedy's ideas, and that is where the speculation began of Paul being Kennedy's running mate. 

I’m interested in the ideas of some independents too, such as @RobertKennedyJr.

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 12, 2024

Paul has been one of Dr. Anthony Fauci's staunchest critics regarding how he handled COVID-19, the lockdowns, mask and vaccine mandates, etc. He spoke out when many were afraid to; he took all the bows and arrows, as did Gov. DeSantis and Brian Kemp (R-GA), among other GOP governors, when they decided to open up their states, schools, and churches earlier than the rest of the country.

Paul has openly stated that he is anti-war and wants to put America first instead of foreign countries. 

US Senator @RandPaul (R-KY) on the Foreign Aid Supplemental Bill that includes $60.1bn for Ukraine:

“The title of this bill should say, ‘Ukraine first, America last.’”

Well said and to the point.pic.twitter.com/LQH79QRuWq

— Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) February 14, 2024

Paul highlighted the dire need to address the southern border instead of sending billions overseas after McConnell emphasized the need to send more aid to Ukraine.

We have an emergency, we have an invasion. We have 700,000 people who came across in the last two months, and they’re willing just to punt on that. You know, they put forward a fake proposal, it wasn’t any good. We shot it down. But that doesn’t mean we’re ready to give up on it. Many of us want to fight. Thirty-two of us out of 48, three-fourths of us, said we wanted to keep fighting, and wanted to actually fix the border before we ship $100 billion of our money overseas.

Rand Paul is trying to block Ukraine funding:

"We have an invasion at our border and some in Congress are more concerned with securing Ukraine’s border. I’m doing everything I can to slow down and stop this horrible spending bill." https://t.co/snN4bk0i1b

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 10, 2024

It will be an uphill battle for Paul to become GOP leader, particularly if the establishment exerts influence. However, if the GOP aims to fulfill the electorate's desires, they ought to select a leader that is likable by most GOP voters. One such senator is Rand Paul. This is the GOP's opportunity to put in an America-first fighter as their leader.