Ron Paul wins Minnesota delegates
— -- When Ron Paul's campaign stated last week that Mitt Romney's delegate lead was insurmountable, Paul's staff insisted they would continue competing for delegates and cited Minnesota as their next target.
This past weekend, Paul accomplished that goal, winning 12 of 13 delegates at the state GOP convention.
"Victories in Minnesota and other states demonstrate that Ron Paul supporters possess the adaptability, organizational muscle, and unmatched enthusiasm required to continue winning delegates in upcoming contests," Paul campaign manager John Tate said in a statement.
Paul's victory means 32 of Minnesota's 40 national delegates will now be committed to Paul at this summer's Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. The libertarian-leaning GOP candidate is remaining in the presidential race to compete for delegates in the hopes of shaping the convention and influencing the party platform.
Still, Paul hasn't won any first round presidential nominating contests. His first major victory occurred earlier this month when he won nearly all of Maine's delegates at the state party convention after losing to Romney in the state's February non-binding caucuses.
On Sunday, Paul's campaign noted that they also picked up delegates this weekend in Michigan, Romney's home state, as well as in Virginia and Vermont. Those states were not on the list that chief strategist Jesse Benton considered as winning targets on a phone call last week with reporters. Those states were: Minnesota, Washington, Misssouri, Louisiana and Iowa.
Last week the campaign held a "moneybomb," or 24-hour fundraising blitz, on May 17, but downplayed expectations for this and any future efforts to raise funds due to Paul's decision not to spend any additional money on states that had yet to vote. Expectations are "not particularly high," Benton said.
On Sunday, the campaign used Minnesota's results to promote a new fundraising drive, describing it as the candidate's last. "That's why, if you haven't yet given to what is likely the final money bomb of Ron Paul's political career, [we] hope you will contribute as generously as you can IMMEDIATELY," Tate wrote in a fundraising email.
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