Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Monday he's undecided on whether to run for president in 2012. Paul said that while he's unsure whether or not he'll try to reprise his upstart, libertarian presidential campaign, he was surprised and encouraged by his win in a straw poll of conservative activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this past weekend.
"I'm leaning to being undecided," Paul said during an interview on CNBC. "But I think it is significant and it does get me excited. And I was surprised about it, because it was mostly the young people."
Paul won the straw poll, considered a preliminary indicator of Republican Party activists' interest in a candidate, with 31 percent of the vote. His victory was met with boos by conference attendees, most of whom didn't participate in the poll.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) won second place at 22 percent, followed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) at seven percent and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) at six percent.
Paul said that his win marked a "shift" within the GOP, which he said was more directed toward younger voters, and a rebellion against previous Republican policies on monetary and foreign policy.
"I think there's definitely been a shift in attitude," he said. "It's not the conventional wisdom of the old Republican Party conservatism. I think something new is coming along."
