Of course not-- Paul wants that title for himself!

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Rand Paul not eager to agree Cruz is GOP leader
By Ashley Killough, October 13, 2013

Following Sen. Ted Cruz's rock star weekend at a social conservative gathering – in which he won a presidential straw poll and was met with great fanfare during his speech – Sen. Rand Paul isn't buying the idea that any one person could be considered the unofficial leader of the Republican Party right now.

"I think that (Cruz has) done a good job drawing attention to Obamacare...For that I think he's done a great service in bringing attention to something that's really going to be bad for a lot of Americans," Paul said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

Pressed on whether Cruz, a senator from Texas, could be considered a de facto leader of the GOP–as Family Research Council President Tony Perkins told CNN last week– Paul said that's a title no one can claim quite yet.

"We all have a little bit of ego, so I think most of us kind of think, 'Oh, we're one of the leaders.' … But I don't think any of us are ready to say, 'Oh, my fellow senator, he's my leader and I'd follow him off the edge of the cliff.' There is no one leader, other than our official leadership that we have," he told CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.

Both Paul and Cruz are considered potential contenders for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

Cruz won the straw poll on Saturday at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, and brought the conservative attendees to their feet during his speech Friday about holding firm in the current standoff with Senate Democrats and the White House over fiscal issues.

Paul also spoke at the event on Friday and came in with 6% in the straw poll.
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