Paul Winding Down Campaign but Gearing Up ‘Revolution’
Now that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has apparently won the Republican presidential nomination, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is the only other Republican candidate who has not yet dropped out of the race officially, as Mike Huckabee did Tuesday. Still, Paul’s campaign “will soon wind down,” he said in a seven-minute campaign video Wednesday. But Paul, who recently secured his party’s nomination to run again for his seat in the House of Representatives, encouraged his backers to continue to work to gain the “maximum number of votes and delegates in all the remaining primaries and to continue the caucus process.” Paul’s name will remain on the ballots in upcoming races, Anthony Riedel, a Paul campaign media staff assistant, told CFR.org.
Paul, the only Republican candidate opposed to the Iraq war, assured his supporters that their “revolution” would continue even after the campaign season ends. “Elections are short term efforts,” Paul said. “Revolutions are long-term projects.”
Paul said he would continue to travel around the country to states where “enthusiasm for liberty” exists, and he called on his supporters to continue to fundraise. Though Paul’s campaign has enjoyed record-breaking financial support from its grassroots movement activists, his network of diehard supporters has not succeeded in securing a significant number of delegates for their candidate.
In the video message to supporters, Paul said the circumstances around the lagging U.S. dollar “gives our movement credibility and a chance to offer sound solutions.” He predicted the “disintegration of the American empire,” and said foreign policy will “continue to be of crucial importance to all Americans as its burden on the economy will get worse.”
Paul’s full video:
