Ron Paul’s Fading Candidacy: Where His Supporters May Go

With his lack of support at the polls, Ron Paul’s dreams of being elected President in 2012 are seemingly less likely than winning the Mega Millions Lottery. He is currently 29 percentage points behind front-runner Mitt Romney in a bid for Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary, and has yet to win a state primary in the months leading up to the Republican convention.

Since his bid for president has almost officially bit the dust, the next question coming is who his supporters will flock to. This is because his message is unique.

Not only does Paul want to reduce the role of government, he also wants to get rid of the Federal Reserve and end the U.S. military presence overseas.

Many of his followers have proclaimed that if Paul is not the Republican nominee, they will not be voting in the general election on November 6th. Mike Hurlock, who is a junior at the University of Maryland, attended a speech by Paul at his university. He declared that:

“I would have a hard time voting for anybody in the general election…I’m not a fan of anyone (other than Paul) in the election.”

His rally of about 20,000 people included chants like “President Paul, President Paul” and “End the Fed, End the Fed.” Unfortunately, those 20k people do not usually add up to a significant voter turn out.

Matt Mackowiak, a Republican consultant, stated that, “There is a level of excitement at rallies – so going to one of his rallies is sort of an act of defiance. But voting is very solitary.” Voters showing up to the primary has been Ron Paul’s weak point.

Unfortunately, many strategists have agreed that Paul’s campaign is less about a feasible attempt to win the Republican nomination, and more about promoting his own libertarian ideals of limited government.

So far the delegate totals have Romney in first place with 565 delegates, which is twice as many as second place Santorum. Ron Paul has a grand total of 66, according to Real Clear Politics. In order to win the nomination, a candidate needs 1,144 votes.

Many Republican strategists are suggesting that Romney may turn to Ron Paul for support if the nomination goes all the way until the convention in August.

Strategist Ford O’Connell was quick to note that Paul and Romney have been very cordial with each other throughout the campaign, a fact that may sway Paul’s followers, if they do decide to vote in the election. While Ron Paul has not officially dropped out of the race (and will likely hold on until the bitter end in August), many Republicans are beginning to believe that perhaps his followers will assist Mitt Romney in his bid for the Republican nomination.

View coverage of Ron Paul’s rally at the University of Maryland here:

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