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Sen. Rand Paul says Republicans have "gone completely crazy" on voter identification. But he has his own history on race that makes African American voters skeptical of him and the GOP.

Sen. Rand Paul says his party the GOP has gone completely crazy on voter identification, turning off African American and other voters the Republican Party needs to attract if its to become more than the political home of older whites.

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Everybodys gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing, Sen. Paul said in an interview with the New York Times this week. I think its wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because its offending people.

Its yet another example of Pauls outlier status as he probes the possibility of a 2016 presidential campaign. But its not the first time hes raised the issue in a party he sees as too cramped and insular.

Speaking to the county Republican organization in Houston in February, Paul warned that Texas "will be a Democratic state within 10 years if you don't change."

"That doesn't mean we give up on what we believe in, but it means we have to be a more welcoming party, Paul said. We have to welcome people of all races. We need to welcome people of all classes business class, working class We need a more diverse party. We need a party that looks likeAmerica.

In Texas, that means attracting more Hispanics, who make up nearly 40 percent of voters there.

In the 2012 presidential race, Mitt Romneywon just 27 percent of the US Hispanic vote; Barack Obama won 71 percent. Among black voters, the spread was even worse for the GOP: 93-6 percent for Obama.

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Rand Paul sounds off on voter ID: Will it help the GOP with black voters? (+video)