Sen. Rand Paul is seeking new alliances with the Republican Party’s establishment wing during a Northeast tour that begins Friday in Boston.

The 51-year-old Kentucky Republican headlined an afternoon luncheon hosted by top lieutenants of former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The private meeting comes as Paul weighs a 2016 presidential bid of his own.

Those close to Paul acknowledge he must broaden his appeal beyond the tea party and libertarian-minded activists who rallied behind his father’s long-shot presidential runs.

The freshman senator attended a luncheon at the private-equity company Solamere Capital, a Boston-area firm that has close ties to Romney and his 2012 campaign. Later in the afternoon, Paul speaks to Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.

(AP)