Ron Paul: I won't be the nominee

Texas Rep. Ron Paul acknowledged in a message to supporters Wednesday evening that he will not end up with enough delegates to win the Republican presidential nomination — an obvious statement that may still come as a disappointment to the congressman's hard-core supporters.

Paul urged his backers to use the Republican National Convention in Tampa as an opportunity to advocate for their policy priorities, and pointed to several down-ballot races where like-minded candidates could use support.

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"When it is all said and done, we will likely have as many as 500 supporters as delegates on the Convention floor. That is just over 20 percent! And while this total is not enough to win the nomination, it puts us in a tremendous position to grow our movement and shape the future of the GOP!" Paul said in the message. "There are many issues to fight for in Tampa. Also, candidates like Justin Amash, Kurt Bills, and Thomas Massie need your support as we move into the fall."

Amash, a Michigan congressman, endorsed Paul in the 2012 primaries. Bills is a Minnesota legislator who won the Republican Senate nomination in his state with the help of Paul-aligned activists. Massie's a Kentucky congressional candidate who won a competitive primary after earning the endorsement of Sen. Rand Paul.

What happens next to Ron Paul and his base of support is anyone's guess, but the gesture toward those three down-ballot candidates is at least an early indication that he hopes to play some role in channeling libertarian activist energy going forward.

While Paul said his supporters would be "hearing plenty" from him in the run-up to Tampa, he also said they should "be respectful" as they "let the establishment know that we are the future of the Party and of the country." That sounds like a nod to the wave of disruptions Paul backers have caused at state conventions, such as when they booed one of Mitt Romney's sons in Arizona last month.

Paul's full message, which embodies as well as anything the movement-like nature of his campaign, is after the jump.