PrintOctober 4, 2007
Ron Paul's Surprising Fundraising Haul
He has the most annoying, dedicated, enthusiastic supporters of any presidential candidate by far. His positions on the issues are mainly a mish mash of dogmatic conservatism tinged with radical libertarianism and a touch of paranoia.
He is opposed to abortion, high taxes, big spending, and the American military stepping one foot outside of the United States. He wants to reopen the 9/11 investigation. He wants the US out of the WTO. He wants to scrap NAFTA and other trade deals.
He has also raised more money for his presidential campaign than all but the top 4 candidates - $5 million in the third quarter:
Paul's campaign announced Wednesday afternoon that the congressman from Texas had raised more than $5 million -- twice as much as he raised in the last quarter. Almost every other candidate hit the traditional third-quarter lull in the summer and raised less money.Hot Air had the headline of the day on Paul's haul: "Bircheresque crank raises as much money as McCain." Allah taps into what has many observers worried about Paul and his sometimes unhinged supporters; there is an element of conspiracy mongering and paranoia emanating from campaign headquarters.
And while Paul's haul is likely less than that of better-known Republicans, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who have not yet reported third-quarter numbers, it's roughly what Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is estimated to have raised, and five times what former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee brought in.
But no one is denying that more than any other Republican candidate, Paul has used the internet to maximize his fundraising and visibility. In the last week of the quarter, he raised a cool $1.2 million.
Ron Paul may not have a chance to win the nomination. But other GOP candidates may want to take a look at the way he has been able to use the internet and generate excitement for his campaign. There may be some lessons to be learned that would assist Republicans in the future.
