07.Jun.2012 Ron Paul officially states he won’t be GOP nominee
In an email sent to his supporters on Wednesday, Texas Congressman Ron Paul acknowledged that he would not be able to amass a sufficient number of delegates in order to defeat former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney at the GOP National Convention in August. According to The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Paul currently has 137 delegates under his belt, while Mr. Romney boasts 1,480. He nevertheless asked his supporters to attend the convention in order to “shape the future of the GOP”.
“There will be hundreds of your fellow supporters in Tampa who will be ready and willing to push the Republican Party back to its limited government, liberty roots,” Dr. Paul wrote.
The Texas congressman also said that around 200 bound delegates would travel to Tampa, Fla., but that, ultimately, he would have “as many as 500 supporters as delegates on the convention floor.” “That,” Dr. Paul said, “is just over 20 percent!”
The 500 or so delegates Dr. Paul refers to will either be bound to throw their weight behind him or will officially be bound to support Mr. Romney. However, Dr. Paul writes, they all “believe in our ideas of liberty, constitutional government, and a common-sense foreign policy.”
Three weeks ago, Dr. Paul announced that he would no longer be campaigning in the states which had yet to hold their Republican primaries, although he stressed that he would still be doing all he can to pick up as many delegates as possible in order to influence the party’s policies platform when the national convention is held at the end of August. Furthermore, Dr. Paul has yet to endorse the presumptive Republican nominee.
His tactic appears to be paying off. In the Feb. 7 Minnesota caucuses, for instance, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum came in pole position with 21,932 votes, while Dr. Paul only managed to collect 13,228. Yet, the Texas congressman walked away with 30 of the 40 delegates which were at stake.
Altogether, more than 250 delegates are still up or grabs. Utah, which will hold its primary contest on June 26, has 40 at stake, while 43 super delegates remain to be allocated. In addition, some 170 are yet to be assigned in states which have already held their primary contests. This process will take place when those states hold their local and state conventions.
The 76-year-congressman who will be retiring later on this year also urged his supporters to continue to fight for their ideas and for the future of America.
“Our delegates’ presence must be felt both in Tampa and in years to come. Stand up for what we believe in. Be respectful. And let the establishment know that we are the future of the Party and of the country,” he said.