FERGUSON, Mo. — With racial tensions flaring anew on the heels of another police shooting of a young African-American man, Republican Sen. Rand Paul came here Friday for a “listening session” with local black leaders.

The Kentucky senator, who has made GOP outreach to minorities a cornerstone of his message for a likely 2016 presidential campaign, met with 20 local black leaders. It was the first time a White House hopeful of either party has visited this town of 21,000, which dominated headlines over the summer after a white Ferguson police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an 18-year-old unarmed African-American.

Paul met for 45 minutes with a group that included pastors, local businessmen and representatives of the NAACP, the Urban League and the Anti-Defamation League.