Rep. Ron Paul has made it official: he’s not going to be actively campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination any longer, but still intends to keep up his hunt for convention delegates:
“Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future.
“Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted. Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have. I encourage all supporters of Liberty to make sure you get to the polls and make your voices heard, particularly in the local, state, and Congressional elections, where so many defenders of Freedom are fighting and need your support.
“I hope all supporters of Liberty will remain deeply involved – become delegates, win office, and take leadership positions. I will be right there with you. In the coming days, my campaign leadership will lay out to you our delegate strategy and what you can do to help, so please stay tuned
That ongoing delegate effort has led to some surprises — Mitt Romney won the Nevada caucuses going away, but after the actual delegate selection was held, Paul supporters will comprise the bulk of the delegation. Paul will also command Maine’s delegation (though that could end up being challenged). Over the weekend, there were scrapes between Paul’s insurgents and party regulars in Arizona and Oklahoma.
What’s the point of all this?
Look back at Paul’s email to his supporters: he wants to ensure that “Liberty is the way of the future.”
What that means to Ron Paul supporters very likely varies from person to person. But if it means there will be a block of folks on the convention floor who are intent on making the GOP platform a bit more libertarian than it’s ever been before, that’s probably a good thing.
But I’m most interested in knowing what you think. Have a go at it in the comments.
