Stuart Stevens, a Republican strategist, said, “It’s an interesting left-meets-right dynamic, and probably Rand Paul is at the center of it.”

Those people alarmed by the militarization of local police, he said, are the same people troubled by the widespread surveillance programs of the National Security Agency or the increasing use of drones as military weapons…

For more traditional conservatives who also might join the presidential race in 2016, the events in Ferguson have been a cause for more careful reactions.

Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) said, in part, “I’m very concerned by recent events in Ferguson, including the violence that has gripped that community and the inexplicable jailing of two reporters. As the FBI looks into allegations regarding the police department there, I hope Americans all over the country will voice their opinions through peaceful means and not resort to violence.”