Ron Paul Campaign Press Release - Ron Paul Campaign Statement on South Carolina Primary

LAKE JACKSON, Texas — The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign released the following statement regarding the South Carolina primary results. Below please find comments from National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton:

"Ron Paul performed well in South Carolina tonight despite his focus on other states and campaigning in the Palmetto State for only four days.

"Dr. Paul quadrupled his 2008 numbers after tripling them in New Hampshire and Iowa.

"Tonight's results also throw this race wide open. There still is no indisputable front runner. The long hard road to the nomination is merely beginning.

"As a result of their showing this evening, establishment candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich will have a lot more questions raised next week.

"Romney and Gingrich have an abundance of big government positions and flip-flops for which Republican voters will want answers. The answers to those questions are out there and this is just the beginning of the scrutiny of these candidates.

"If the Republican Party nominates a candidate who supported the healthcare individual mandate and bailouts, they do so at their peril as tonight's top two finishers would deliver President Obama a second term.

"After tonight, only 37 delegates, or 1.6 percent of total delegates, have been awarded. The race for the Republican nomination is a marathon—not a sprint—and our campaign has in place a comprehensive plan to secure 1,144 delegates and win the nomination.

"Ron Paul is the only candidate with the plan and record to change the status quo. He consistently polls the best of the Republican candidates against President Obama, and has the grassroots support and nationwide organization to sustain the type of campaign we are about to see.

"Looking ahead, we see a lengthy, 50-state national campaign. Dr. Paul is fully prepared to win.

"See you on the campaign trail."