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By Klaus Marre
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Posted: 11/06/07 02:39 PM [ET] |
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Following a breathtaking fundraising effort Monday, Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) presidential campaign will use a multimillion-dollar online windfall to add staff and begin airing ads in Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada, his campaign said. Paul’s campaign took in $4.3 million from 37,000 donations Monday when his supporters opened their wallets to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. The story of Fawkes, who was part of a group that tried to blow up the British Parliament on Nov. 5, 1605, was made popular in the U.S. in the 2006 blockbuster movie “V for Vendetta.” Paul’s supporters wanted to commemorate the revolutionary spirit of Fawkes but were quick to reject violence. The fundraising effort was not organized by the campaign, but rather was put together at the grassroots level. While he is still behind the GOP front-runners in the polls, Paul now has the resources to compete financially. His campaign had $5.3 million cash on hand after the third quarter and has raised an additional $7.4 million in the last five weeks. Paul professed Tuesday that he never watched the “V for Vendetta” and campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said it is unlikely that he would do so now. The lawmaker credited his message with his fundraising success. He is the only GOP candidate who opposed the war in Iraq. “People are sick and tired of what they’re getting,” Paul told MSNBC. “And they’re angry and they’re upset. They don’t like the war and they don’t like the economy.” Paul’s fundraising prowess had already turned heads prior to Monday. He raised more than $5 million in the third quarter, much more than observers had predicted. However, so far the fundraising success has not translated into large gains in the polls. The campaign hopes that an infusion of cash will help get out the word on the candidate and that the free media exposure that came with Monday’s record haul will increase Paul’s visibility. |
