'08 Dark Horse Running Strong ... in Cyberspace

June 2, 2007 — -- His name has shot up on the list of most Googled terms; it peppers the blogosphere; and it is attached to more than 100 networking groups on MeetUp.com.

He is Ron Paul and he is arguably the most popular Republican candidate ... on the Internet.

Dr. Ron Paul, an obstetrician from Texas, is a little-known Republican congressman running on a platform of limited government. In most national polls, he gets one percent or less of the vote.

But in Internet polls, Paul is frequently in first place.

"We think the Internet is the great equalizer," said Jesse Benton, communications director of Ron Paul 2008. "It is one of the last great, real vehicles of liberty."

Paul's star has been on the rise since the Republican debate on May 15, when he challenged Rudy Giuliani over 9/11.

"Have you ever read about the reasons they attacked us?" Paul asked. "They attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years."

Recently, Paul got huge applause when he appeared on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," something rare for a Republican. Next week, the candidate will be a guest on "The Daily Show."

Cynics suggest some of Paul's popularity is manufactured. Online polls and other Websites have accused Paul's supporters of spamming to make him appear more popular.

The campaign, however, insists the support is real. The day after the first Republican debate on May 3, the campaign Website had 706,000 visitors and, according to Benton, Paul has the most successful YouTube channel of any candidate. He is also the most requested Republican on Eventful.com, a site where users request candidates visit their city. Even more striking, Benton says since that May 3 debate, the number of donors to the campaign has increased fourfold.

"I wouldn't call it a grassroots effort, I'd call it a grassfire effort. It's growing by leaps and bounds," said Benton. "We couldn't even manage it if we tried."

Web sites popping up in support of Paul encourage users to network through sites like MySpace, to vote in online polls, to donate money and to join local Paul 2008 groups.