Ron Paul endorsement of Mitt Romney unlikely, says adviser
Republican Presidential hopeful US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) talks with the press after a town hall meeting at the University of Maryland on March 28, 2012 in College Park, Maryland. Paul has made strategic gains in Maine and Nevada that could help him control party policies at the upcoming Republican National Convention.
A top adviser to Ron Paul said Tuesday the Texas congressman will probably not endorse Mitt Romney for president.
"Never say never, but I don't believe that's likely," Jesse Benton, the national chairman of Paul's presidential campaign, told National Public Radio.
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Benton flatly ruled out the chance of Paul backing Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee who has said he will actively try to court Paul supporters, according to the Washington Times.
Paul announced plans to stop actively campaigning Monday, but stressed he will continue efforts to win delegates at state conventions.
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In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Benton said the campaign had turned down the Republican National Committee's offer to set up a joint general election fundraising committee, as it has with Romney, and warned that Paul's supporters aren't a sure thing for the former Massachusetts governor this fall.
Paul wants very specific items included in the Republican Party platform to be drafted at the GOP convention in Tampa in August. If they are not, the 74-year-old's supporters may withold their support from Romney in November, The Huffington Post reported.
"If they're treated like they were in 2008, a lot of people are going to stay home and a lot of people are going to sit on their hands," Benton said.
The items Paul wants included are: a proposal for stricter oversight of the Federal Reserve, a ban on indefinite detention of American citizens and a provision advocating greater freedom on the Internet, to keep the government from treating it as a "public utility," according to The Huffington Post.