Ron Paul launches bid for GOP presidential nomination
Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican, is running for president for a third time.
The libertarian-leading congressman said in an interview Friday that voters are increasingly embracing his brand of conservatism
“The people are agreeing with much I have been saying for 30 years,” Paul said, making his announcement from Manchester, N.H., on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “The time is right.”
Paul, 75, who has finished strongly in several Republican straw polls, has an ardent, if small, fan base. He showed himself in 2008 to have some ability to raise money, pulling in more than $35 million.
He first ran for president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1988, and his views place him squarely outside the GOP mainstream. He opposes American intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in the Friday interview suggested that the U.S. was heading toward an invasion of Pakistan. He supports drug legalization, is a fierce critic of the Federal Reserve, and wants to sharply curtail the size of government.
He is the father of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has said he would not run for president if his father chose to make another bid.
The elder Paul said he could win the race. “Coming in No. 1 in the Republican primary is an absolute possibility,” he said.
james.oliphant@latimes.com
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