Texas Congressman and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said Sunday that he will remain in the race for the 2012 nomination until the Republican Party convention.
“We’re going to stay in and see what comes of it,” the Texas congressman said on CNN’s State of the Union program.
Mr. Paul, who is widely seen as third wheel in the race for the Republican nomination, has hinted at launching a third-party bid. However, this latest statement is likely to end such speculation, leaving little chance that Mr. Paul will campaign beyond the 2012 convention if he fails to secure the Republican presidential nomination.
The Texas Republican has spent the past several days campaigning in Maine and Nevada, where he expects to have a far better showing than in Florida, where recent polls show him largely trailing his Republican counterparts.
With the Florida primary on Tuesday, Mr Romney has expanded his lead over Mr. Gingrich by 15 points in a poll released Sunday by NBC News and the Marist Institute. Mr. Paul has consistently ranked far behind the Republican field, taking third or last place.
Still, the Texas Republican is likely to remain a force within the Republican Party. Along with Mr. Romney, Mr. Paul is the only candidate who was able to get on the ballot in all fifty states, leaving to a possible surge of delegates that could make him an influential figure at the party’s convention in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Asked whether he thinks his campaign will do well in Florida on Tuesday, Mr. Paul said recent support may lead him to a third place finish.
“I really do believe we’re going to do quite well there and have a good chance of winning,” Paul told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley about his chances in Maine.
“We’re going to stay in and see what comes of it,” Mr. Paul said. “There have been a lot of ups and downs so maybe there will be some downs and we will be able to pick up the pieces.”
However, the Texas Republican said he expects to do fairly well in the states that follow, including Maine.
“I really do believe we’re going to do quite well there and have a good chance of winning,” Mr. Paul.
