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Ron Paul said today he'll stop spending money on GOP presidential primaries, but will still try to obtain delegates for the national convention in Tampa.
In a statement today, the Texas congressman said he will soon outline his strategy for amassing delegates so he can impact change within the Republican Party and go to the convention with a "strong message."
"Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that liberty is the way of the future," Paul said.
"Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted. Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have," he said.
Mitt Romney has been campaigning as the presumptive GOP standard-bearer, even though he is short of the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination outright. As of 6 p.m. ET, Romney has 973 delegates and Paul has 104, according to an Associated Press tally.
Nebraska and Oregon hold presidential primaries tomorrow. There are 11 more primaries or caucuses on the presidential calendar, which officially ends on June 26 when Utah voters go to the polls.
Paul's supporters have recently won delegates at state conventions in Maine and Nevada. In a CNN interview last week, Paul said he's still collecting delegates so he can change the GOP's direction.
In some ways, he already has. The 2012 race has at times focused on issues such as spiraling debt and federal budget deficits -- issues that Paul has long warned about both in his two previous presidential races and his congressional campaigns.
Paul encouraged his supporters to make their voices heard by voting in local, state and federal elections, as well as trying to become GOP delegates and running for leadership positions within the party. For example, Iowa Republican Party chairman A.J. Spiker used to be a Paul campaign staffer.
"This campaign is also about more than just the 2012 election. It has been part of a quest I began 40 years ago and that so many have joined," Paul said. "It is about the campaign for liberty, which has taken a tremendous leap forward in this election and will continue to grow stronger in the future until we finally win."
(Contributing: Jackie Kucinich)
