On May 14 , 2012 , Paul announced that he would no longer actively campaign in states that have not held primaries , but rather focus on a strategy to secure delegates before the convention . Paul remained active in the race through the 2012 Republican National Convention . Leading up to the convention , he won bound-pluralities of the official delegations from the states of Iowa , Louisiana , Maine , Minnesota , Nevada , and Oregon ( but not the Virgin Islands — despite winning the popular vote there ) . During the credentials committee meetings the week prior to the official opening of the convention , the Paul members of the delegations from Louisiana , Maine , and Oregon were disputed ( as well as the Paul delegates from Massachusetts ) , and many of his delegates from those states were unseated . At the same time , Paul delegates from Oklahoma disputed the credentials of the official Oklahoma delegation , but they did not succeed . In the end , he had bound-pluralities from Iowa , Minnesota , and Nevada ; however , he additionally had nomination-from-the-floor-pluralities in the states of Oregon and Alaska , plus the territory of the Virgin Islands . Under the 2012 rules , this total of 6 from-the-floor pluralities was sufficient to earn a fifteen-minute speech on national television ; the rules were changed at the last minute to require 8 from-the-floor pluralities , and thus he did not speak at the convention . Although he was n't named the 2012 Republican nominee , he did not officially end his campaign or endorse nominee Mitt Romney for president . At the convention , he received second place with 8 % of the delegates ; Gingrich and Santorum had released their bound delegates to Romney the week before the official opening of the convention . Paul 's state-by-state delegates tallies were not verbally acknowledged by the RNC
2012 Republican National Convention
2012 Republican National Convention
Ron Paul 2012 presidential campaign