A physician, turned politician, the Texas gentleman has developed an amazing presence on the Internet, and, if the election were decided online, only, he might well win.
"The whole message seems to be very attractive to young people," said Rep. Paul. "I think they like to be left alone. When I talk about Internet privacy and no taxes, I think they understand it."
Rep. Paul's political views are libertarian, meaning he supports ideas like free markets -- and less regulation -- individual rights, lower taxes, and legalization of marijuana.
Rep. Paul has consistently voted against federal bills to censor sexually explicit Web sites--a stance that nearly cost him his re-election bid last November. Paul, sometimes known in Washington as "Dr. No," risked opprobrium from fellow Republicans by voting against the law last year to restrict Internet gambling and has also opposed targeting the video game industry and giving federal police more Internet surveillance powers.
Internet Video
Internet video has become another important arrow in the campaign's quiver. Paul was the first presidential candidate with an iPhone app that enables campaign videos to be viewed through the phone's Safari browser.
Last month, Paul made a campaign stop at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., that drew a standing-room only crowd. The moderator said "we've never gotten so many questions" aimed at any presidential candidate, and the YouTube clip of Paul's appearance has drawn 165,000 page views.
During his time in the House of Representatives, Paul developed a reputation of being notoriously frugal, paying his staff less than their counterparts in other congressional offices in an effort to return money to the U.S. Treasury.
This frugality has carried over to his campaign headquarters, which until two weeks ago was housed in an office approximately the size of a bedroom.
The online campaigning has translated into at least some fundraising success: according to recently released figures, Paul's campaign was in stronger financial shape than those of Sen. John McCain, Sen. Sam Brownback, or Gov. Mike Huckabee, and had raised $3 million so far this year.
For now, at least, the Internet represents the campaign's best hope of narrowing those odds. "It's a political equalizer," Rep. Paul said, referring to the Internet.
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