Ron Paul won’t run for reelection, will focus on presidential race

In terms of his presidential bid, Rep. Ron Paul is all in. He won’t run for Congress in 2012, he said Tuesday.

Paul, 75, announced his plans through Twitter. In an interview with a newspaper in his southeast Texas district, the Facts, the 12-term Republican congressman said it was time for him to concentrate on the presidential campaign.

“I felt it was better that I concentrate on one election,” Paul told the paper. “It’s about that time when I should change tactics.”

Paul has watched as his libertarian-leaning brand of conservatism has caught on among Republicans and tea party activists in recent years. But that has yet to translate into any real momentum for his White House bid.

Polls have repeatedly shown him under the 10% mark in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

He has proven himself to be an adept fundraiser, raking in about $4.5 million in the second quarter of this year, ahead of more mainstream stalwarts such as Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman.

Paul likely would have won his Texas district, although the redrawn districting map in his state may have made it a tougher proposition than it has been in the past.

Paul’s son, Rand, was elected to the Senate last year out of Kentucky.

james.oliphant@latimes.com