AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas announced Friday that he will run for the GOP nomination for president in 2012, the third attempt for the man known on Capitol Hill as “Dr. No” for his enthusiasm for bashing runaway spending and government overreach.
“Time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I’ve been saying for 30 years. So, I think the time is right,” said Paul, 75, who first ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988.
Paul made his announcement on ABC’s “Good Morning America” from New Hampshire, where he held a rally later Friday.
Three years ago he became an Internet sensation — and a prodigious fundraiser— when he made a spirited bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
First elected to Congress in 1976, he is known for his unconventional views and keeping a smile on his face, espousing a sort of modern Republican populism. The Associated Press
