Another presidential hopeful opens local office

Dozens of supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul opened their Minnesota campaign headquarters Thursday, undeterred by the consensus that their candidate remains the longest of long shots.

"Look, we've got Republicans, Democrats, libertarians, independents in this room," said Marianne Stebbins, a Republican activist from Excelsior, who is Paul's Minnesota coordinator. "I'm just nonplussed about the criticism and don't pay any attention to it."

Paul, a 10-term congressman from Texas, was initially regarded as a strictly second-tier candidate with virtually no national following.

But his outspoken performances during GOP debates, decrying the Iraq war and calling for dramatically smaller government, inspired incessant Internet buzz -- and a prodigious burst of fundraising.

The $8.2 million Paul raised during the first nine months of the year placed him fifth among GOP candidates and he raised another $4.2 million in a single day last month.

His Minnesota supporters hope their fledgling network and some of that cash could have results during the Feb. 5 precinct caucuses, where a few thousand participants statewide can translate into a strong showing for a presidential candidate.

Stebbins said she has about 3,500 names on a mailing list and hopes to flood the caucuses with 14,000 supporters.

Longtime GOP operative Sarah Janecek said it's unlikely Paul's supporters will have any such impact on the caucuses. "I don't think many true Republicans are involved in the Paul campaign," she said. "He's got lefties excited about his opposition to the war, and the libertarian Perot voters on the other side -- and those aren't caucus-goers."

In contrast to Paul's fundraising, his poll numbers remain anemic everywhere. A Star Tribune Minnesota Poll in September found that he barely registered among the state's Republicans.

His supporters point to a series of unscientific straw polls, such as the one conducted late last month by Twin Cities talk radio station AM1280, which found Paul had the support of 48 percent of those who came to a hotel to watch a GOP debate, far outdistancing all other candidates.