Perhaps because John McCain has been the presumed Republican nominee for months, many Americans did not realize that Ron Paul was still in the race until yesterday, when he officially withdrew.

“I am deeply moved and honored by your hard work and sacrifice on behalf of our cause,” Paul said told his supporters. “It is time now to take the energy this campaign has awakened and channel it into long-term effects to take back our country.”

Paul, who was also a Libertarian candidate for president in 1988, raised stunning amounts of money from his dedicated group of supporters but earned only 42 pledged delegates. In his speech June 12, Paul declined to endorse McCain, sparking debate in the blogosphere over whether Paul’s fans will support the presumed Republican nominee.

Even though his presidential bid has come to an end, Paul’s campaigning is far from over. In his speech he announced the launch of a Campaign for Liberty to “educate our fellow Americans in freedom, sound money, non-interventionism and free markets.” And Paul will be speaking in Minneapolis during the week of the Republican National Convention in September, at his own convention up the street.