WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- Republican U.S. presidential candidate Ron Paul says he's not planning to end his campaign, though he lags far behind his GOP rivals and hasn't won a primary.
A CNN delegate head count Wednesday gave the Texas congressman just 71 delegates, compared with 657 for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 273 for former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and 137 for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia. It takes 1,144 delegates to win the GOP nomination.
Paul has won none of the 38 primaries or caucuses and did not appear to win any delegates in Tuesday's primaries in Maryland, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
But in an interview this week with WMAL Radio, Washington, D.C., Paul said: "What is the purpose of stopping? It seems strange if there's a campaign going on with no winner. You should just fold the tent and leave? … It's still important to try to get people to talk about what they ought to be talking about."
FoxNews.com noted Wednesday Paul's not facing pressure from party leaders to drop out and he's not viewed as a threat to Romney's chances of winning the nomination before the Republican National Convention.
Paul, 76, has focused on causes including eliminating the Federal Reserve and withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan and has gained some traction with those issues, though some opponents say he supports an isolationist foreign policy.
Paul trailed far behind Romney in cash on hand in the most recent federal filings, with $1.6 million compared with $7.68 million for Romney. Romney's super PAC also is much better-funded than Paul's.
