Will Ron Paul Support a Third Party Candidate? Ask Ron Paul.
Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin has launched his web site, and as the boys at Third Party Watch point out, it's calculated to make him look like Ron Paul's heir. No surprise there. Constitution Party founder Howard Phillips pushed delegates to nominate Baldwin over Alan Keyes on the cryptic promise that Paul secretly supported Baldwin and that the vast riches of the Paul campaign were "resources we can look to."
I saw Ron Paul on Wednesday, at a signing event for The Revolution, and he told me he won't endorse Baldwin or Barr. He'll kinda-sorta endorse both. He won't stop them from using photos of him or talking about his campaign.
"Chuck was in my office today to say hello," Paul said. "but I haven't said anything about supporting either one of them. I support both of them in what they're doing, and I encourage them, but that's all."
"Maybe you'll endorse McCain and surprise everybody," asked one of the people walking out of the event with us. "That would surprise me, too!" said Paul. But this is actually a sticking point in the Paul campaign: Some people in his circle want him to swing his weight behind McCain once the primaries are over. At the moment, they're being overruled.
On a related note, back in Pennsylvania I asked Paul if he'd weigh in and help the "Ron Paul Republicans" who are running for office using all or part of his platform. He's started doing so in earnest, buoyed by the easy victories of candidates like BJ Lawson. Here's a quick-'n'-painful endorsement he shot for Amit Singh, fighting for Virginia's 8th district (a safe Democratic seat held by the deeply flawed Jim Moran).