Ron Paul Heads to Nevada: Strategy Called ‘Odd’

ABC NEWS | Jason M. Volack | January 31, 2012

While his GOP rivals duke it out in a bloody Florida primary on Tuesday, Ron Paul will continue stumping for votes in the caucus states that dominate the political calendar over the next week.

Paul does well in caucus states, where superior organization and passionate supporters play to his strengths and could allow the Texas congressman to pick up more delegates than Gingrich and Santorum combined this week. (See Ron Paul Packs Them In In Maine)

Even Republican strategist Karl Rove admitted that strategy provides Paul the biggest advantage over the next week while speaking on Fox News Monday night.

“I think it’s going to be a advantage of Ron Paul,” Rove said on “On The Record with Greta Van Susteren.” “He’s been spending a lot of time on caucus states. His campaign manager announced this is going to be a big focus.”

While Florida Republicans will hit the polls on Tuesday, Paul will be stumping in Colorado and then Nevada.

The Paul campaign said they are heavily focused on picking up Nevada’s 28 delegates by turning out Hispanic and Mormon voters.

It’s a strategy Eric Herzik, chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Nevada Reno, finds “odd.”

“It’s an odd strategy — Republican Latinos are not a big demographic group,” Herzik told ABC News. “I don’t see what the natural link is with these groups.”

Most Hispanics don’t vote Republican, and Romney has a lock on his fellow Mormons, said Herzik adding, “It’s his vote to lose.”

Despite that, Paul’s message of limited government and individual liberties plays well in Nevada, which is a conservative anti-tax state but also has liberal pro-choice laws and the lowest average attendance of church in the nation, Herzik said.

Paul’s campaign has been running television ads in Nevada since last summer, and senior aides add that they will continue to run them in the state through the Feb. 4 caucuses.




The Las Vegas Sun reports that Paul has spent $350,000 on air time in the state.

Flush with cash from a $13 million fundraising haul last quarter, Paul said he’s staying in the race through the convention.

When asked on CNBC Monday night if he would accept a speaking role at the convention, Paul said he’ll wait to see what the circumstances are.

“They are not going to give you a primetime spot if you talk about bringing back the gold standard and bringing the troops home,” said Paul.

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