Ron Paul gaining momentum in N.H. primary
Despite facing an uphill battle to prove he is more than a fringe libertarian candidate, the campaign of Texas Representtaive Ron Paul appears to be gaining momentum. The campaign is opening offices and launching ad buys, in an attempt to capitalize on rising poll numbers and strong fundraising.
During his 2008 presidential run, Paul mustered some of the most enthusiastic supporters but failed to translate that support into votes.
Yet last night, a Suffolk University poll of likely New Hampshire voters found Paul in second place. While former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney maintained a huge lead over all his competitors, Paul was leading the pack of other contenders at 14 percent, with his closest rival, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, four points back.
Paul has been campaigning hard in New Hampshire, a state his campaign considers critical. Romney is widely expected to win the state – though Texas Governor Rick Perry has tried to challenge that perception lately. But that means a second place showing in the first-in-the-nation primary would have enormous significance for a candidate like Huntsman or Paul, both of whom are trying to prove they are viable as a potential nominee.
While Paul has traditionally done well in straw polls – coming in a close second in the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa and winning several smaller straw polls – analysts say straw polls could still be an indication of strong support from smaller groups of conservative voters. Nationally, Paul’s poll numbers are averaging around 9 percent, according to data compiled by Real Clear Politics, putting Paul well behind Romney and Perry but at the head of the pack of all other candidates.
In addition to last night’s poll, Paul is also coming off a weekend in which his campaign says he raised $1 million in a Constitution Day “moneybomb,’’ an online fundraising campaign. His campaign says Paul has now had five separate occasions in which he has raised more than $1 million from a single event.
Paul’s campaign is trying to take advantage of this momentum. Today, the campaign announced the first ad in what will be a $1 million ad buy over the next few weeks. The 60-second television ad highlights Paul’s service in the Air Force. The emotional ad features two Vietnam War veterans talking about their experiences at war, and calling Paul “a veteran’s best friend.’’ “We had never been thanked for our services. Never,’’ said Joe Pena, who is retired from the US Army. “Congressman Ron Paul got my medals for me and presented them to me. That was an awesome feeling.’’ The ad will run nationally on Fox News during tonight’s debate coverage, and will also run on broadcast and cable television in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
In addition, Paul is opening a new campaign office in Louisiana on Friday, and last week opened a headquarters in Michigan. He is this week kicking off a swing through Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Iowa.
Yet at the same time, Paul must still prove that his ideas are not too far out of the mainstream to get support from the vast majority of Republicans. Paul, who was an advocate for the Tea Party ideology of limited government before the Tea Party existed, was actually booed at a Tea Party debate last week for comments he made suggesting that US foreign policy incited the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
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