STORY HIGHLIGHTS      
    Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) -- Campus    politics aren't always a clear winner for Rand Paul, as he    discovered here this week during an appearance at the College    of Charleston.  
    The Kentucky Republican and potential 2016 contender opened    with a familiar riff about government surveillance that won    predictable applause -- especially from the many students who    represented Young Americans for Liberty, the libertarian outfit    created from the ashes of his father Ron Paul's presidential    campaigns.  
    Then a young woman in the audience asked if Paul, who sponsored    an anti-abortion bill in 2013 that defines life as beginning at    fertilization, is opposed to Plan B, the emergency    contraception commonly known as the morning-after pill.  
    A number of social conservatives -- plenty of them in Iowa --    have condemned the morning-after pill as an on-demand abortion    drug, sometimes confusing the contraceptive with RU-486, which    can be used to induce abortion.  
    Noticeably uncomfortable with the question, Paul first gave a    terse answer: "I am not opposed to birth control," he said.    After a pause, he elaborated. "That's basically what Plan B is.    Plan B is taking two birth control pills in the morning and two    in the evening, and I am not opposed to that."  
        Rand Paul: 'I am not opposed to birth control'  
    Next question.  
    The exchange was notable because it happened on a college    campus -- a place where Paul has made inroads in building    support for his libertarian agenda. And it underscored the    challenge that lies ahead for him: burnishing the libertarian    credentials that make him so appealing to young voters while    making sure he doesn't stray so far from the Republican line    that he won't be able to win the party's presidential    nomination.  
    Another student here pressed him on "the drug war," asking if    Paul would support legalizing marijuana, cocaine and heroin. He    said he wasn't supportive of drug use, explaining that pot "is    not that great," but said drug laws should be left up to    states. Colorado and Washington are experimenting with    legalized marijuana, he said, and we should be watching    carefully.  
Link:
Hambycast: Could Rand Paul support gay marriage?