The Hill News

A top official for Ron Paul's presidential campaign said that he does “not believe that that is likely” the Texas congressman will back Mitt Romney, and said discussion of a potential endorsement was "premature."

Campaign chairman Jesse Benton said that while he was "sure [it] would help Mitt Romney to earn Dr. Paul's endorsement," the presumptive Republican nominee would have to work to win the support of Paul's fervent supporters.

“In a lot of ways, the ball is in the court of the Republican Party and in the court of Mitt Romney. If our people are treated with respect, if our ideas, their ideas, are embraced and treated seriously and treated with respect, I think the Republican Party has a very good chance of picking up a substantial number of their votes,” Benton said. “On the flip side, if they’re treated I guess largely like they were in 2008, I think a lot of people are going to stay home, a lot of people are going to sit on their h! ands.”

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