San Antonio Express|March 4, 2007
But his doomsday message of impending U.S. economic collapse, federal government encroachment on civil liberties and opposition to the war in Iraq sets him apart from traditional GOP candidates.
Last weekend, in his first trip to New Hampshire, he spoke to gatherings large and small, repeating his mantra of limited government and personal freedom in the post-9-11 era.
"I don't feel that much safer in the airport," Paul told a taxpayer's group. "I feel harassed."
But even in libertarian circles, Paul has detractors.
"Ron Paul is a Republican. Ron Paul is lending credence to a party that is anti-libertarian," said George Phillies of Massachusetts, who is seeking the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination.
What's worse, Phillies said, Paul is siphoning off campaign funds that are critical to the Libertarian Party's nominee.
Paul raised $1.5 million for his 2006 congressional re-election race, and 97 percent of the contributions came from individuals, the majority of whom live outside his Coastal Bend district in Texas, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Much more will be needed to launch a credible national campaign, says Paul, who is little known outside Texas.
In a CNN/WMUR presidential poll conducted in January, Paul had the support of 1 percent of Republicans in New Hampshire.
Nationally, he's a minor candidate, said Larry Sabato at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, albeit one with a measurable constituency like Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who's running on a border security platform.
The reality is that neither is "bloody likely to be the Republican nominee for president," Sabato said, but the few percentage points each might receive could "make a difference in a very close race among the top contenders."
Paul's decision to run as a Republican, rather than Libertarian, was pragmatic. A third-party candidacy would limit his exposure in the media, debates and other candidate events, he said.
Elected as a Republican to Congress in the late 1970s, Paul served until 1984, when he launched a Senate bid in the Texas GOP primary against then-Rep. Phil Gramm.
In 1988, Paul ran for president as a Libertarian and received .05 percent of the vote.
He was elected to Congress again in 1996, defeating Rep. Greg Laughlin, a Democrat who switched parties, in the Republican primary.
