Rand Paul endorses Mitt Romney

Rand Paul, the Republican Senator for Kentucky and son of GOP candidate Ron Paul, endorsed Mitt Romney on Friday, even though his father has yet to formally terminate his campaign. 

Politico reported that the younger Paul announced his support for Romney on an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity" less than 24 hours after Ron Paul acknowledged his delegate poll was not enough to win him the Republican nomination. 

“When it is all said and done, we will likely have as many as 500 supporters as delegates on the Convention floor," Ron Paul wrote in an e-mail to supporters, obtained by Politico. "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!" 

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Paul has espoused a strategy of increasing his delegate presence at the Republican National Convention in Florida, which will give him and his supporters the ability to effectively control convention proceedings at the RNC and make motions on nearly anything from the floor, from changing the convention rules, to electing a new convention chairman, to offering up platform resolutions, ABC News reported. 

"Well, you know, my first choice had always been my father. … He is still my first pick," Paul said, the Washington Post reported. "But now that the nominating process is over, tonight, I am happy to announce I am supporting Governor Romney."

Rand Paul is a favorite among conservative Tea Partiers, and has been brought up as a potential pick for Romney's vice president, according to Reuters. 

“I think I can be an asset in solidifying the conservative base of the party," Paul said, adding that it would be "an honor" to be Romney's VP, Reuters reported. "I also think that myself, my father, and the movement that he started attracts a lot of independents. A lot of these young people aren't necessarily the conservative base.”

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Mitt Romney acknowledged Paul's support in a statement on Friday, Politico reported. 

"Over the past three and half years, President Obama has made government more and more of a presence in our lives, and Americans can’t afford four more years of the same failed policies," Romney said. "As president, I will reform the federal government and make it smaller, simpler, and smarter. I am grateful for Sen. Paul’s support and look forward to working with him to get America back on the right track."

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