On the surface, Ron Paul was the big loser of Saturday’s South Carolina primary. Paul finished fourth in what had been winnowed down to a four-man race after Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry suspended their campaigns earlier in the week.
But Jesse Benton, National Campaign Chairman for the Paul campaign, still sees a path to victory for his candidate.
“After tonight, only 37 delegates, or 1.6 percent of total delegates, have been rewarded,” he said in an online statement. “The race for the Republican nomination is a marathon – not a sprint – and our campaign has in place a comprehensive plan to secure 1,144 delegates and win the nomination.”
Benton also sought to put a positive spin on Paul’s last place finish in the Palmetto State.
“Ron Paul performed well in South Carolina tonight despite his focus on the other states and campaigning in the Palmetto State for only four days,” he explained. “Dr. Paul quadrupled his 2008 numbers after tripling them in New Hampshire and Iowa.”
In 2008, Paul won just 4 percent of the vote in the South Carolina Primary, or just over 16,000 votes. This time around, Paul received 14 percent of the vote, with close to 78,000 ballots cast his way.
Regardless, Paul now finds himself in the unenviable position of being the only GOP contender left in the race who has yet to win a caucus or primary. If Paul does follow through on his plan to continue campaigning straight through to the Republican Convention in Tampa, it could fuel speculation about a possible third party candidacy. Conjecture aside, Paul more likely sees his current campaign as just another step along a long path towards victory.
In a speech to supporters in South Carolina last night, Paul made it clear his electoral efforts have always been about “promotion of a cause.”
“Then it dawned on me, if you win elections and win delegates, that’s the way you promote a cause,” he said, according to CBS News.
Paul has already succeeded in building a formidable coalition of libertarian leaning Republicans and Independents, and even some anti-war Democrats, over the past four years, as evidenced by his improved vote counts in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. In theory, Paul could ride that momentum all the way to real victory 2016, but the reality is that his age could rule out a future White House run.
Enter Rand Paul, who is already poised to carry on his father’s legacy as a member of the U.S. Senate. The blogosphere is already abuzz with talk of “Rand Paul 2016″, suggesting some Paul supporters view this year’s race primarily as an opportunity to recruit more voters in advance of the real fight ahead.
Their message to the Republican Party establishment: The Ron Paul revolution has just begun.