As the first votes in the Republican presidential race approach, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul has become a serious force with the potential to upend the nomination fight and remain a factor throughout next year’s general-election campaign.
Although few think the Texan has a realistic shot at winning the GOP nod, he could be a spoiler or a kingmaker. In a muddled field, Paul could win the caucuses in Iowa, where he has been methodically building an organization and a corps of followers.
Over the past week, he has spent more than $600,000 on attack ads that are cutting into support for fellow front-runner Newt Gingrich. Perhaps most fearsome to Republican leaders is Paul’s refusal to rule out a third-party presidential bid that would steal votes from the Republican nominee and make President Barack Obama’s path to re-election considerably easier. Washington Post
