Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul announced Tuesday morning on his Facebook page that he will not seek re-election in 2012.

“Big news!” Paul wrote. “I have decided not to seek re-election for my House seat in 2012 and will focus all of my energy [on] winning the Presidency. My hometown newspaper The Facts will be running the exclusive story very shortly.”

Paul was first elected to Congress in 1978. He previously ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2008.

“I felt it was better that I concentrate on one election,” Paul told The Facts. “It’s about that time when I should change tactics.”

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul released a statement reacting to his father’s announcement.

“History will record the legislative record of Ron Paul as an extraordinary one — perhaps unparalleled,” Paul wrote. “There probably has never been a more consistent believer in limited government in Congress. America deserves a statesman like Ron Paul as her president, a man I am proud to call my father.”

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