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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, says he's one of the most conservative members of the Senate on issues like spending, taxes and demanding balanced budgets. But there's no denying that he has a whole other set of what he calls "libertarian-ish" issues that define his political ideology.

In an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, Paul said those issues include a belief in privacy and a reform in the criminal justice system to make sure everyone is treated fairly under the law.

"We still have a large problem in our country that, if you are black, you're not always being treated fairly under the law. And I want to fix that," he said.

Paul - who announced last week that he is running for president in 2016 - has been a vocal proponent of trying to make the party more inclusive. He says he's not finding resistance among other members of his party as he tries to do that.

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Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus says that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be bogged down by scandals, includ...

In a separate interview, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said the GOP is working on expanding the map of states where they can win.

"There's no doubt that we have to be about perfect. And the other side can be about good. And so the fact is that we do have the higher burden," he said. "When I talk to people every day, even people who are trying to defeat me in the nomination process, come up and say, 'Oh, yeah, but we do like that you're trying to make the party bigger.' So I'm not finding much objection from Republicans," he said. "It means not just showing up once every four years, five months before the election. It means talking for two and three years, in these communities, about things that we have in common before you go in and sell the final product."

Paul noted that he has traveled to Ferguson, Missouri, Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee as part of these efforts.

"I've tried to say to the African-American population: One, I'm going to fix the criminal justice system. Two, I believe in your privacy. And three, I believe in economic opportunity," Paul said.

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Rand Paul on why a "libertarian-ish" Republican can win

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Paul, the libertarian-leaning contender from Kentucky, leads former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by three points in Colorado, virtually ties her in Iowa and posted the smallest deficit against Clinton in Virginia among all the other would-be Republican contenders, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. But in Colorado and Iowa, Clinton's lead is slipping against all the major Republican hopefuls.

Two days after launching his presidential campaign, Paul leads the pack of Republicans in head-to-head matchups with Clinton in those three battleground states.

But barely.

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Clinton is finding herself in a tight spot against most of her other would-be foes who came out within the 3 percentage point margin of error against Clinton in Colorado and Iowa, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

Sen. Ted Cruz, the only other announced candidate, is just 1-point shy of Clinton in the Colorado matchup and three points short in Iowa.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is eyeing a run, ties Clinton in Colorado and Virginia.

Colorado-born Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin considered a leading contender to become the Republican nominee, virtually ties Clinton in Colorado with a 1-point lead. But in Iowa, Clinton hold a 4-point advantage over Walker.

That's a six-point improvement for Walker in Iowa compared to the same Quinnipiac survey in February -- just one of the signs Clinton's lead is slipping in that state as the campaign nears.

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Poll: Paul best GOP bet in three swing states

Rand Paul used to be libertarian. Now he describes himself as libertarian-ish.

Its a slight distinction, but an important one.

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The senator is using his presidential campaign kickoff tour this week, including a Thursday afternoon speech at the U.S.S. Yorktown aircraft carrier in Charleston, to present himself as a kinder and gentler version of his father, long the movements standard-bearer, while also showcasing a scaled-back, sanded-down form of libertarianism thats more palatable to the Republican rank-and-file.

Theres no talk from the Kentuckian about ending the Federal Reserve, no quoting Friedrich Hayek and no laments about how the U.S. deserves a share of blame for terrorism all hallmarks of Ron Paul presidential campaign rallies. Doom-and-gloom has been replaced by sunny optimism; the language of revolution has been supplanted by something that sounds a lot more incremental and a lot less edgy.

The focus now is on humanizing Rand Paul. Glossy videos at his campaign events show him coaching little league soccer, traveling to Guatemala to give free medical care and visiting with African-American college students. His stump speech includes a poignant story about how his ailing grandmother inspired him to become an eye doctor. As her vision began to fail, I became her eyes, he tells crowds. Those introducing Paul at events repeatedly describe him as compassionate.

Libertarians of all varieties understand why the 52-year-old is bowing to pragmatism and playing the inside game. Most are okay with what they see as a delicate balancing act; they recognize that not enough libertarians are out there to win the Republican nomination. But others, especially those who identify with the Libertarian Party, have a word for Paul: sellout.

There are a lot of libertarians who will sit down and talk with you for hours on end about the Fed and macroeconomic theory and Hayek and so forth, said Bob Barr, who represented Georgia in Congress for five terms before running for president as the Libertarian Partys nominee in 2008. Thats great, but the average voter doesnt know who Hayek was, doesnt know who Milton Friedman was and doesnt know what the Federal Reserve does.

Rand is much more founded in the real world than his dad was when he was a candidate, Barr continued. Rand understands that if you want to win a national election as a libertarian that is with a small l you have to appeal to a lot of Republicans. We have, after all, a two-party system period, end of argument.

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee in 2012, chastises the younger Paul for supporting a budget that includes sizable increases in military spending and for cozying up to evangelicals. Paul continues to personally oppose gay marriage and does not call for the legalization of marijuana.

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Rand Paul's kinder, gentler libertarianism