Paul to address SXSW music festival

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will speak at the popular South by Southwest music festival next month.

Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Evan Smith will interview Paul about “how technology has transformed politics, campaigning, governing, and citizen engagement,” according to the SXSW website.

In addition to the five-day music and film festival, SXSW features panels of presenters that have turned it into a central meeting place for technology enthusiasts.

{mosads}Paul is gearing up to run for president. His appearance at SXSW is further evidence that young voters and an aggressive digital strategy will be primary touchstones for a White House bid if he runs.

Paul has already been tweaking Hillary Clinton and other GOP contenders on an array of social media platforms.

Last month he posted audio of a fake “phone call” between Clinton and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is also considering a presidential run. He also clashed with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) over Twitter for objecting to President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba.

And last week, Pinterest took down a page that Paul’s digital operation created to impersonate Hillary Clinton. The team has also taken out Google ads that appear when Internet users search for other Republican candidates.

Paul’s young digital guru, Vincent Harris, is based in Austin, and the Kentucky senator has opened an office in Silicon Valley.

The SXSW festival will give Paul an opportunity to take his message to young voters. Paul has talked at length about expanding the GOP’s appeal to the next generation, and many believe that his libertarian-leaning views on issues like drug policy and criminal sentencing reform could appeal to a younger set of voters.

SXSW has been around for nearly 20 years, but it exploded on to the cultural scene in the 2000s when it became a central hub for up-and-coming independent artists and as a meeting place for enthusiasts of cutting edge technology.