Rand Paul Is Setting Up Shop In Silicon Valley

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who is widely considered a leading potential GOP presidential candidate in 2016, is opening up an office in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Paul said he is "in the process" of opening up the office and expects to be in the area "fairly often."

"There's a lot of smart people in Silicon Valley, and we want to use their brains to figure out how to win," Paul said.

The Chronicle noted Paul, whose office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, wasn't specific about what exactly he wants "to win."

"Well, for the party, winning nationally," said Paul. "My goal for the past year has been to try to widen the party message and make the party big enough to win nationally."

Though it is traditionally a Democratic stronghold, Silicon Valley's techie community has been seen as a potential base of support for Paul, a conservative with strong libertarian leanings.

This office isn't Paul's first attempt to connect with people in the Bay Area. In July, he traveled to San Francisco where he touted his techno-libertarian credentials in a speech where he emphasized the need for tech education, expressed his support for Bitcoin, and criticized the National Security Agency's surveillance programs.