Ron Paul: A Sideshow No More?

FreeMarketNews.com is reporting a shocking story which, if true, could drastically shake up the Republican race for president. According to their reports from observers close to the campaign, Rep. Ron Paul is now close to rivaling John McCain for campaign dollars.

Congressman Ron Paul’s donations have moved up - not by hundreds of thousands - but by millions as a result of his debate performances and groundswell of support on the Internet and in New Hampshire, observers close to the campaign say.

Specifically, the “observers” claim his campaign has neared $4 or $5 million. To put that in perspective, John McCain has only $5,180,799, although Romney and Giuliani have nearly twice that. Radley Balko and Andrew Sullivan have more on the Ron Paul surge.
While money may not win elections on its own, analysts often use it as an indicator of the strength of one’s support. Telling a phone surveyor you support someone is vastly different than actually cutting a $200 check to that same candidate. But there is something to be said for traditional grass roots activism as well, and in that department Paul is also making strides. Ron Paul’s website is available here, where you can learn more about him and donate to his campaign. Rep. Paul is also scheduled to appear on the Colbert Report tomorrow, June 13th.
Update: Like Radley, I wondered why Ron Paul didn’t show up in a recent L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll, but then I read the poll question. Paul wasn’t offered as a possible choice.