Rep. Ron Paul believes more Americans are open to the libertarian views he champions, and the Texas Republican said Sunday that the shift is encouraging for his presidential campaign.

“Believe me, mainstream is moving in the direction that I have been talking about for a long time, and therefore, nobody knows what the outcome will be in this election,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Voters’ perspectives have changed since 2008, when he last sought the GOP presidential nomination, he added.

“In the last campaign, I knew what was happening,” Paul said. “You know, they mocked me for my foreign policy, and they laughed at my monetary policy. No more. No more. … So I would say whatever happens, it’s going to be good because the people have woke up.”

The Texan learned from his 1988 presidential bid as the Libertarian Party candidate that the nation’s political process prevents third-party candidates from being viable, he said Sunday.

“People who want to participate, they more or less have to get into one of the major parties,” he said.

But Paul added that he believes the Republican Party is in a period of transition.

“A lot of our people have gotten into the Republican Party, and I’ve already noticed a difference in the appearance. … We get in the Republican Party and hopefully [use] that as a vehicle to bring about the positive, peaceful changes that we want,” he said.