Ron Paul fires up supporters in Virginia as Arizona and Michigan vote

SPRINGFIELD, Va. -- Taking the stage Tuesday before an over-capacity crowd gathered for event billed as a "celebration rally" for Arizona and Michigan's presidential primaries, Rep. Ron Paul chose not to acknowledge those votes were taking place.

"I guess the revolution has arrived in Virginia!" the Texas lawmaker said to more than 1,700 shouting supporters while another 500 were unable to enter the ballroom after the fire marshal deemed it too crowded.

Mitt Romney bested rival Rick Santorum in Arizona and Michigan, one of the most competitive races of the campaign so far.

Having cut his losses early in Michigan after spending a mere three days in the state, Paul opted to spend election night near Washington so he could question Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke Wednesday when he appears before the House Financial Services Committee.

Why Michigan was so close, and how Romney won

But over the weekend Paul seemed equally lukewarm to Virginia's primary, which offers him the unique opportunity on Super Tuesday to face off against Romney one-on-one, as they were the only two candidates to collect enough signatures for the ballot. Asked about it Sunday, Paul said he didn't know "to what extent" he'd play in Virginia.

Paul has consistently said he is trying to amass as many delegates as he can.

"They keep asking about winning particular states in this campaign, but guess what? We're still winning a lot of delegates!" he said to massive cheers.

"Every once in a while they include my name in the polling," Paul said, telling the cheering crowd that a "recent poll that showed we do the best against Obama!"

Lindsey Boerma

Lindsey Boerma is senior video producer for CBSNews.com.

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