WSJ: Ron Paul’s New Campaign May Be Bigger Influence On Presidential Campaign
June 13, 2008, 11:00 amRon Paul’s New Campaign: A Potent Force in the Fall?
Susan Davis reports on politics.
Rep. Ron Paul ended his presidential campaign Thursday night, but the maverick Texas lawmaker who spurned a political movement vowed to continue his efforts through a new organization, the Campaign for Liberty.
Ron Paul addresses supporters in Houston Thursday. (Associated Press)
Paul’s exit from the race was just a formality. He never had a shot at the nomination but his grassroots candidacy cultivated national interest and was fueled by an online fund-raising operation of small donors who saw promise in Paul’s political message. A video of his farewell speech Thursday night has been viewed nearly 600,000 times.
The Texas lawmaker is hoping that base will transfer to his new political effort, whose mission is to elect more libertarian-minded candidates, like Paul, to office. “We’ll make our presence felt at every level of government, where just a few people with our level of enthusiasm can make a world of difference. We’ll keep an eye on Congress and lobby against legislation that threatens us,” Paul writes on his new site. “We’ll identify and support political candidates who champion our great ideas against the empty suits the party establishments offer the public. We will be a permanent presence on the American political landscape. That I promise you.”
Paul will also be holding his own convention, of sorts, during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., in early September. A Sept. 2 rally is in the works at Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota where Paul hopes to attract 11,000 attendees.
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