Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign

Ron Paul for President 2008
Campaign2008 United States presidential election
CandidateRon Paul
U.S. Representative from Texas
(1976–1977)
(1979–1985)
(1997–2013)
AffiliationRepublican Party
StatusAnnounced March 12, 2007
Suspended June 12, 2008
HeadquartersLake Jackson, Texas
Key peopleKent Snyder (chairman, deceased)
Lew Moore (manager)
Jesse Benton (press secretary)
ReceiptsUS$28,100,000 (2007-12-31)
SloganHope for America
Website
ronpaul2008.com
(archived June 11, 2008)

In early 2007, Ron Paul, a congressman from Texas, announced his candidacy for the Republican Party's nomination for president of the United States in the 2008 election. Initial opinion polls during the first three quarters of 2007 showed him consistently receiving support from 3% or less of those polled. In 2008, Paul's support among Republican voters remained in the single digits, and well behind front-runner John McCain.[1]

During the fourth quarter of 2007, Paul was the most successful Republican fundraiser, bringing in approximately $20 million.[2][3] He also received the most money from the armed services of any candidate in the fourth quarter.[4] His campaign set two fund-raising records: the largest single-day donation total among Republican candidates and twice receiving the most money received through the internet in a single day by any presidential candidate in American history.[5] Paul's run for president is also noted for its grassroots social networking, facilitated by the Internet.[6] Paul's enthusiastic supporters were noted by the media, who called them "Paulites".[7][8] Paul received most of his contributions from individuals, at ninety-seven percent, compared to other candidates.[9]

As of February 5, 2008, Paul had won sixteen delegates to his party's National Convention, placing him last among the four Republican candidates still in the race at that time.[10] The campaign projected on February 6 to have secured at least 42 delegates to the national convention.[11] On March 4, 2008, McCain earned enough pledged delegates to become the Republican presumptive nominee, but Paul decided to continue his run.[12] Paul released The Revolution: A Manifesto on April 29, which collected essays based on thoughts that arose from his experiences running for president in 2008. The book went on to be the top bestseller among political books on Amazon.com[13] and The New York Times nonfiction list.[14]

On June 12, 2008, Paul announced that he was ending the presidential campaign, investing the more than $4.7 million of remaining campaign contributions to build up the new advocacy group Campaign for Liberty.[15] Although he suspended his campaign, he appeared on the ballot in Montana[16] and Louisiana[17] in the general election. He was also listed in some states as a write-in candidate. He received over 47,000 votes, giving him the eighth-highest popular vote total in the election.[18]

  1. ^ Saad, Lydia (February 25, 2008). "Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008". Gallup. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Malcolm, Andrew (February 1, 2008). "News shocker: Ron Paul was biggest GOP fundraiser last quarter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  3. ^ Jacoby, Mary (December 31, 2007). "Ron Paul's War Chest Swelled in 4th Quarter". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  4. ^ "Cost of '08 Presidential Race Already Tops All Elections Prior to '04". Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
  5. ^ "Ron Paul, a Republican outsider, sets fund-raising record". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  6. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. & Wayne, Leslie (November 11, 2007). "The Web Takes Ron Paul for a Ride". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "The Disciples of Ron Paul, Spreading the Word in N.H". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  8. ^ Archives: "CAMPAIGN '08; Foot soldiers of the Ron Paul revolution; Backers of many stripes herald the Republican candidate as their hero.", Los Angeles Times.
  9. ^ Ron Paul profile on OpenSecrets.org
  10. ^ "Election Center 2008 Delegate Scorecard". CNN. February 6, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  11. ^ "42 Delegates So Far And Many More To Come". February 6, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  12. ^ Wolf, Z. Byron (March 4, 2008). "Revolution Revived! Ron Paul Survives Challenge". ABC News. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  13. ^ "Top of the Ticket". Los Angeles Times. May 1, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  14. ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. May 18, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  15. ^ "Ron Paul to End Campaign, Launches New Effort". ABC News. June 12, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Winger, Richard (September 5, 2008). "Montana Constitution Party Submits Presidential Electors Pledged to Ron Paul and Michael Peroutka". Ballot Access News. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference LA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Presidential Race". CBS News. November 4, 2008. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2008.