As he plans to focus more on this bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Representative Ron Paul announced today that he would not be seeking reelection in the Texas congressional district that he has served for over a decade.
A simple tweet from Rep. Paul today said that he had “decided not to seek reelection to Congress,” and linked Twitter viewers to an in-depth story carried in a local paper today. While polls are not showing him as the most viable candidate for the presidency at this time, Paul says he would rather focus solely on the presidency than run two campaigns.
Speaking to RT this afternoon, Paul said that the support he has gathered over the last few years is “tremendous,” especially when compared to the audience he pulled in during his 2008 presidential campaign.
“I think it will continue to build,” says Paul.
“When it comes to war, more people are skeptical,” says the congressman. “There are more votes in Congress now to bring our troops home,” he added, remarking that people are finally agreeing to what he has been campaigning for all along.
Paul adds that on the topic of the economy and the Federal Reserve, his campaign has pulled in more supporters over the years and can only get bigger.
“We still face a lot of problems but I think people are paying attention in all areas,” he says.
Paul says that the number of supports has grown exponentially, with a fan-base extending “literally into the millions.” Now, he says, the plan is to “stay as organized as possible” and to “do more of what we’ve been doing.”
“Of course we’re going to continue to do what we’ve been doing — talk about the changes that are necessary, philosophically,” says Paul.
In the meantime, the Ron Paul campaign is focusing on the upcoming Ames Straw Poll, which will take place in Iowa later this summer.
When asked by RT if he feels as if he is betraying the Texas district he has represented for so long, Paul says “nobody is indispensable.”