Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul spoke at the University of Missouri today, two days before the state’s caucus. The visit comes as Paul trails the other Republican candidates by a significant margin in the delegate count. KBIA's Ryan Famuliner and Scott Kanowsky report.
More than a thousand supporters and college students gathered near the center of the MU campus today to hear Paul’s speech. According to NPR reports, Paul currently has 33 delegates to his name, compared to Mitt Romney’s 396. Paul told reporters he plans to push on: "I think getting to the convention with the maximum number of delegates and if there's a brokered convention, I think that could be very, very important to us. And who knows what'll happen between now and then?"
Paul delivered his signature messages, including criticisms of federal government involvement and calls for increased social liberty.
Later, Paul spoke to reporters about his hopes for this week’s state Republican caucuses, but declined to say just how important they are to his campaign: “It’s a tough battle but if a crowd like we had today got energized and got out and vote, it could make a significant difference. But I’m not going to make any predictions.”
When asked, Paul wouldn’t commit to supporting Mitt Romney with his delegates of endorsing him if Paul were no longer in the race.
Missouri’s caucus is this Saturday. Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum won a non-binding Missouri primary in February. Twelve percent of Missouri Republicans voted for Paul then.
