By Marie Horrigan, CQ Staff

Texas Rep. Ron Paul has officially called off his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, more than two months after John McCain secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination. But with frequent events scheduled in the next two months, Paul apparently has no intention of giving up his libertarian fight.

“What I see happening now is hardly the end of anything. I think this is the beginning of something really, really big that’s going on in this country,” Paul told supporters Thursday night when he announced his withdrawal.

Paul supporters call it the “revolution,” the fight to bring the party back to its roots.

“Ultimately it’s philosophy that wins. It’s the belief and the convictions. We’re motivated. They’re motivated to maintain power. We’re motivated to propose that we stick to the Constitution and turn this country around. That gives us energy,” Paul said Thursday to the roar of his supporters.

Some news organizations had already removed Paul as a Presidential candidate. In a video posted on his campaign Web site on March 6, Paul conceded that McCain had secured enough delegates to win the nomination, but he stopped short of dropping out of the race, citing the larger fight. His announcement Thursday was the first time Paul officially ended the campaign.

Paul’s organization is putting together organizing a “liberty convention” in Minneapolis at the same time as the Republican National Convention in St. Paul on Sept. 2. It will be an all-day event at the Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota that will feature speakers, including Paul, and will be an energetic but respectful celebration, said spokesman Jesse Benton.

“We’re asking Dr. Paul supporters and any other Republicans who want to come and celebrate Republican traditions and limited government to join us there,” he said.

Benton said that while the event would be an opportunity to remind Republicans that there is a large contingent of people interested in moving the party back “to its roots.”

“The Republican Party needs to veer back and stay true to its traditions and remain a limited government party and maybe even become a limited government party once again,” he said.

Meanwhile, Paul supporters are also planning on holding an alternate state convention for Nevada Republicans. The state party recessed its April 26 convention without certifying delegates for Paul and McCain after a procedural move by Paul supporters and Republican activists stalled progress on selecting delegates.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Nevada caucus with 53 percent of the vote; McCain and Paul tied with 13 percent each.

The delegates to the state convention will reconvene at a party-sanctioned event in Reno on July 26 to complete the process, but Paul supporters plan to meet nearly a month earlier — June 28 — at the Reno Grand Sierra to try to do so. The state party has said the Republican National Committee will not recognize any selections made at the June 28 meeting.

Paul has not yet taken a position on the Nevada alternate convention, Benton said. “A lot of our supporters are very engaged in that and Dr. Paul, he’s very supportive of spontaneous grass-roots action,” he said.