Ron Paul is a Republican presidential candidate for 2012. He ran for the position twice before under the banner of the Libertarian Party.
There are at least two groups in Davis that have publicly endorsed Ron Paul. One is the local chapter for the nationwide Campaign for Liberty. The other is a UC Davis student organization known as Young Americans for Liberty, which started out as Students for Ron Paul.
Ron Paul held a rally on the UC Davis quad at 7pm on May 3, 2012. According to one estimate, 3000 people were in attendance.
Before the rally, a few local television stations interviewed Dr. Paul. In reference to a question about the notorious Pepper Spray Incident, Paul stated that he couldn't recall the incident or any specific details surrounding it. He had been on the campaign trail when the incident occurred, and the November 18th incident was between two national presidential debates on the 12th and 22nd that he attended. However, he came off as sympathetic to student protests and said that protesters, in general, should have more freedom to congregate and voice their opinions.
At the rally, Dr. Paul expressed enthusiasm for our town's love of bicycling.