Journalist Jon Ralston: Ron Paul supporters 'want to stay inside the tent'

Tuesday on PBS' Newshour, Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun and Brian Doherty of Reason.com explained the role of Ron Paul in the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Paul announced on Monday that he would no longer be campaigning in states that have not yet held primary elections. But he has not dropped out of the race completely. Instead, Paul hopes to gain delegates at state party conventions.

"So he's going to do something that no other candidate in history has," Ralston explained. "He's going to run backwards. That is, he's going to go back to these states where he's been able to infiltrate the county and state conventions and grab as many delegates as he can to the national convention."

Despite his best efforts, it is nearly impossible for Paul to capture the Republican nomination. However, Paul has stuck in the race in hopes of transforming the Republican Party from within.

"And you could say, well, if you're not going to win, why bother?" Doherty said. "But for that purpose, it does matter if you're coming in with 200 delegates vs. 500 delegates. It's a bigger signal to the world that, we are not just a fringe minority that can be ignored. We are important to the party moving forward. And he and his fans share that desire."

"I do think, though, that Ron Paul running for president this time has gotten a lot more Ron Paul supporters engaged in Republican Party politics," Ralston added. "They want to stay inside the tent. They want to be effective. That's why it's such a delicate dance for Romney at the convention, because if they feel that they haven't been at least paid attention to, if not kowtowed to, then I think it could be a problem for him afterward."

Watch video, courtesy of PBS, below: