Patriot Update

After a candidate loses an election, it’s rare that the candidate’s movement continues as a “revolution.” Nobody talks about a John McCain revolution, and even a day after the Mitt Romney defeat for president, nobody’s talking about a Mitt Romney movement that will continue after his candidacy. But Representative Ron Paul, a 12-term Texas congressman who is retiring in January, always said his campaign was about ideas instead of personalities. In making endorsements for the U.S. House of Representatives, the former obstetrician played the role of king-maker, winning an astonishing eight of 11 House endorsements:

1. Justin Amash, a Michigan freshman congressman (3rd District), was reelected 58-39 percent over Democratic nominee Steve Pestka, who poured more than $1 million of his own into the campaign. Amash aligned most closely to Rep. Paul’s ideas and ideals over the past two years, and the 32-year-old congressman may hold the mantle as the titular head of the Ron Paul movement in Congress.

2. MIT-trained scientist Thomas Massie easily won Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District race 62-35 percent, and had strong support from Kentucky’s Senator Rand Paul after emerging from the GOP primary where he fought off several establishment favorites. Massie won the open seat primary with major support from the Liberty For All SuperPac.

3. Retired high-school teacher and reindeer farmer Kerry Bentivolio won 51-44 percent in Michigan 11th Congressional District race, after some major primary intervention from Ron Paul-backed SuperPacs, including Liberty For All SuperPac. Bentivolio had already won election to finish the term of Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, who resigned earlier this year, so Bentivolio will have an edge over incoming freshman toward placement in committees with his seniority.