Paul takes shot at Jeb Bush over Common Core

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took a shot at Jeb Bush Tuesday night after Bush earlier in the day jumped forward in the 2016 presidential race. 

{mosads}Paul, a likely rival to Bush, criticized Bush for his support of the Common Core education standards. The standards provide guidelines for what students should learn in each grade, and many Republicans denounce them as taking away local control of education. 

“For Jeb Bush to run in the primary will be very, very difficult because if you’re going to be for a national curriculum and for Common Core and for No Child Left Behind, this accumulation of power in Washington, that’s not very popular,” Paul said on Fox News’s “The Kelly File,” also referencing the education law signed by Bush’s brother, former President George W. Bush. 

“Most of us believe in less federal government and more decentralized government, particularly with education,” Paul said.

Bush’s announcement Tuesday that he is “actively exploring” a presidential run could accelerate the start of the race, although a range of potential rivals said Tuesday that Bush’s move makes no difference to their plans.  

“Maybe he has more ground he needs to gain,” Paul said, referencing the almost seven years since Bush was governor of Florida. “He’s been out of this for a while. So maybe he needs to get back in and practice up a bit. I don’t know.”

Paul said he still planned to “wait a few more months” before making his announcement.