Texas Congressman Ron Paul and his ongoing campaign for the GOP presidential nomination rolled through Phoenix Thursday evening.

An estimated 700 to 800 supporters showed up for the rally at the Pointe Hilton at Squaw Peak Resort. Among them was Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen. Pullen encouraged the crowd to continue its activism in the GOP, even urging attendees to register as precinct committeemen in their local districts.

 Arizona Sen. John McCain has already secured enough delegates to become the GOP's nominee. Involvement in Thursday's rally by Pullen, once a McCain critic who has in recent months climbed firmly atop the Straight Talk Express, raised eyebrows among some political observers.

But Andre Campos, Paul campaign coordinator for Arizona and Utah, stressed that no disrespect to McCain was intended by Paul's Arizona visit or the campaign's invitation of Pullen.

"It was not a slight," Campos said.

Arizona GOP spokesman Tony Reinhard explained Pullen's involvement thusly: "The chairman is just speaking to Republican voters and Republican activists and encouraging them to stay involved."

Reinhard went so far as to call Thursday's rally "a unity event with the Ron Paul folks."

Meanwhile, Paul's presidential campaign shows no sign of stopping.

"Sen. McCain is still just the presumptive nominee," Campos said. "Until the Republican national delegates get together at Minneapolis-St. Paul, there's still a chance."

So, you're saying there's a chance? Yeah, like that.

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