"Paul gains momentum with runner-up finish" by Bobby Caina Calvan | Globe Staff, January 11, 2012
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Ron Paul, who for years had been cast as the GOP’s fringe also-ran presidential candidate, claimed the runner-up position against the political juggernaut of Mitt Romney, giving the Texas congressman much-needed momentum as the campaign heads south, first to South Carolina and then Florida.
Just four years ago, Paul managed just a fifth-place showing in this pivotal first-in-the-nation primary.
Last night, he was solidly in the upper tier of Republican candidates vying to evict President Obama from the White House.
Paul, who placed a solid third in Iowa last week, is finally attracting the wider support that has so eluded him in his two previous campaigns for president — in 2008 and as the nominee for the Libertarian Party in 1988.
His blend of politics, a unique hybrid of conservative Republican values and libertarianism, has captivated a strong following among the young and others in this “Live Free or Die’’ state disillusioned by the mainstream candidates who usually dominate the Republican and Democratic parties....
It remains to be seen how far he can take his campaign.
A key question now is whether Paul will actively campaign in Florida, which holds its primary Jan. 31. Campaign officials said they would make that decision based on last night’s results and what happens in South Carolina’s Jan. 21 primary....
There had been little question that Romney would be the victor in New Hampshire. Claiming second place was a big accomplishment for Paul, who fended off the surging former governor of Utah, Jon Huntsman, and helped temporarily squelch the momentum of former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who had a near-tie with Romney in Iowa.
Paul was scheduled to arrive in South Carolina today, to campaign in the first Southern state to hold a primary. In South Carolina, Paul will be confronted with an electorate that lacks the libertarian streak that characterizes many voters in New Hampshire.
He will be vying for votes from fiscal and social conservatives, as well as a large military population.
Paul wants the United States to reduce defense spending, close its overseas bases, and bring home all military personnel.
He opposed the country’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He has also opposed the war on drugs and has attracted followers who hail from outside the Republican mainstream.
Indeed, some of Paul’s rivals have complained about the in-your-face style of Paul’s “freedom fighters,’’ supporters who routinely crash the campaign events of other candidates.
At his postelection celebration last night at a Manchester banquet hall, Paul said that his campaign had gotten scant notice from the news media.
The Globe has been erratic about it. There have been long stretches where they have mostly ignored him.
With his impressive showings in Iowa and, now, New Hampshire, Paul has gotten much more attention.
“I have to chuckle when they describe you and me as ‘dangerous,’ ’’ he told supporters who waved flags and placards. “This time they are telling the truth, because we are dangerous to the status quo.’’
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I actually watched the speech on TV, folks, and it was inspirational.
