NASHUA, N.H. – Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul returned to New Hampshire Friday after a two-day hiatus from the campaign trail, refusing to let his third-place finish in Iowa put a damper on his efforts in the Granite State, where hundreds of enthusiastic followers turned out to cheer him on.
Paul backers, numbering 400 to 500 people, filled a small airplane hangar decked out in campaign paraphernalia and one even sported a large Ron Paul tattoo, an example of a uniquely rabid following that is the envy of the rest of the GOP field.
Chanting “President Paul,” the crowd applauded frequently and loudly during a short speech in which Paul advocated for smaller government, lower taxes and a non-interventionist foreign policy.
Paul downplayed what many termed a disappointing third-place finish in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses.
“Iowa was a great victory as far as I am concerned,” Paul said, “and I believe the momentum will continue.”
The latest national poll shows Paul in fourth place, trailing the GOP’s latest surging candidate, former Sen. Rick Santorum, who lost the Iowa caucuses to Mitt Romney by just 8 votes.
The Rasmussen Reports poll showed Romney leading with 29 percent nationally and Santorum in second with 21 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has been campaigning here since early Wednesday morning, is third with 16 percent, followed by Paul with 12 percent.
In New Hampshire, Paul is in second place with 18 percent, behind Romney who has 42, according to a separate Rasmussen poll. Santorum is in third place with 13 percent, followed by Jon Huntsman with 12 percent and Gingrich with 8 percent.
Paul told reporters Friday he does not consider Santorum to be his main threat in New Hampshire but took a few jabs at the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, who, Paul noted, voted to raise the nation’s borrowing limit several times and backed a costly 2003 Medicare prescription drug program while he was in Congress.
“We are going to emphasize exactly what the opponents believe in,” Paul said. “This is not a state that likes big government. … As far as I’m concerned all of my opponents have supported way too much government.”
Paul disavowed a new online advertisement, created by his supporters, that questions whether Huntsman, a former ambassador to China who speaks Mandarin fluently, is a “Manchurian candidate.” The ad includes footage of two of Huntsman’s daughters, one adopted in India and the other in China, with the caption, “China Jon’s daughters: even adopted?” Paul said he had nothing to do with the ad.
Paul said he plans to campaign every day until Tuesday’s primary and has scheduled another town hall meeting Friday night for his loyal backers.
“Liberty and freedom is popular, it really is,” said Lisa Gravel, a letter carrier from Manchester who came to the Nashua rally toting Ron Paul balloons.
Gravel said the Paul enthusiasm stems from the candidate’s Libertarian call for limits on the government’s intrusion into people’s lives.
“There is no other politician talking about that,” Gravel told The Washington Examiner. “All they are doing is passing laws that take our liberties away. Paul is talking about giving them back. And you know what? That is an exciting thing.”
