The Daily Iowan has reporters around Iowa City and Des Moines covering Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses.

The DI has spoken with several people supporting Republican candidate Rand Paul in this years caucus.

“I’m voting for Rand Paul. I believe in small government, and I enjoy his constitutional views. I don’t think government should tell me how to run my life. They think they can spend my money better than I can,”  Tom Blanchette, 20, a first-time caucus goer said.

Some Paul supporters think he is the Republican with the best head on his shoulders.

“I’m voting Rand Paul. I like his fiscal policy. He seems the least crazy of other republicans. I hadn’t paid much attention until the last Gop debate, but I liked what he said there.” said Nick Whittaker, 19, a first time caucus goer at the Robert A Lee rec center. 

Others said they support Paul’s isolationist foreign policy, compared to other Republican candidates.

“I think I’m voting for Rand Paul. One big thing that I like I about him more than the others is that he doesn’t want to start any wars in the Middle East, and every other candidate seems to want to,” said Heidi Hannenberg, 18, while attending her first caucus at Peterson Hall on the University of Iowa campus.