Paul will give response to State of Union

WASHINGTON – Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., will deliver the tea party response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday – making his remarks after another tea party favorite, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., delivers the official Republican response.

This is the third year the tea party movement has fielded an official reaction to the president, as the Republican Party’s internal divisions continue to spill into the open.

Amy Kremer, the chairwoman of Tea Party Express, said the conservative organization was “excited” that Paul would be following Rubio.

“Americans are fed up with Washington politics that fail to address America’s fiscal woes,” Kremer said. “Both Senator Rubio and Senator Paul will articulate pro-growth messages that will resonate with the American people.”

Paul and Rubio were tea party favorites during the 2010 mid-term elections, besting establishment-backed candidates.

Both men are seen as potential heirs to the GOP’s leadership mantle. Rubio is widely expected to be a 2016 presidential candidate, while Paul is building on the movement launched by his father, former libertarian Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, a past presidential candidate.

In 2011, the tea party group debuted its first response with Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and last year Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain gave remarks.

Paul’s response will be delivered from the National Press Club and carried live at the group’s website, www.teapartyexpress.org.>