Ron Paul: 'At least 50-50' chance of 2012 run for president

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said there's at least a 50-50 chance he'll run for president again in 2012.

Paul, the libertarian Republican who ran for the GOP nomination in 2008, hinted that he could be preparing another bid in two years.

“I’d say it’s at least 50-50 that I’ll run again,” Paul told The New York Times in a profile piece published Monday.

Paul has seen his brand of conservatism bolstered by several developments since he last sought higher office: namely, the ascendancy of the Tea Party movement: the election of his son, Rand, as a Republican senator from Kentucky: and political momentum behind a signature issue of his, an audit of the Federal Reserve.

The Texas congressman, who was the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee in 1988, made respectable showings in several primaries and caucuses in the 2008 cycle. He won 24 percent of the GOP vote in the Idaho primary, 22 percent in the Washington state caucus and 21 percent in the North Dakota caucus.

Paul also proved to be a fundraising powerhouse in his run for president, fueled mostly by fervent, small-dollar donations. His presidential campaign raised over $35 million for the cycle, about $34.6 million of that driven by individual contributions.

If Paul were to enter the 2012 race, he'd enter a crowded Republican field with no clear front-runner. Since recent polling has suggested Obama may be vulnerable in two years, more and more Republican candidates may look to enter the race.