“When votes are cast for the Republican Presidential Primaries on Tuesday, Congressman Ron Paul (D-Texas) will be on the ballot. Recently, a local group of supporters attempted to drum up campus support for what many have criticized as a under publicized presidential candidate.”
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When votes are cast for the Republican Presidential Primaries on Tuesday, Congressman Ron Paul (D-Texas) will be on the ballot. Recently, a local group of supporters attempted to drum up campus support for what many have criticized as a under publicized presidential candidate.

Kurt Liston, the leader of the Summit County Ron Paul Meetup Group, has been working to spread the word on his candidate by handing out information in the Student Union Friday. Liston said he was happy with the support Paul received while on campus.

We received more interest than the Hillary booth right next to us maybe three to one, he said. It was a huge encouragement.

Liston said he believed the higher interest in Paul may be due to over campaigning from other candidates.

Many supporters of Paul claim the media has not covered him equally.

I handed one girl a pamphlet on his pro-life record and her face just lit up, Liston said. She was excited. It made me feel good that we got another person.

This is the sort of reaction that has led to Paul’s strong funding according to Liston. Paul has received over $6 million this quarter from 61,000 supporters.

The Summit County Ron Paul Meetup Group funds all the signs, DVDs and ads out of their own pockets.

David Jgambellone, a senior in Computer Engineering, became a member of several local Ron Paul Meetup groups after first hearing of the campaign through a friend on the social networking Web site Facebook.

He explained that there were several reasons for his advocacy of Paul.

The other candidates from either party are very socialist, while Ron Paul is all about the free market, Jgambellone said. He believes in getting the government out of our lives.

Jgambellone and Liston are not alone in their support for the candidate – there are plenty of students on the UA who also support Paul.

Ron Paul has a plan to eliminate our country’s biggest problems, the war in Iraq, taxes, inflation and immigration all through methods our country was founded on, senior Jenny Richardson said. The answers can be found in the Constitution, and he knows this.

According to Paul’s Web site, he is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. He would not vote for legislation unless the proposed measure was expressly authorized by the Constitution.

Senior Shane Hague said Paul addressed real issues when confronted in a debate.

When I was watching the debates, half the time Paul was the only candidate that talked about issues like he had a college education, he said. All the others were pathetic.

An area of frustration for both Liston and Jgambellone when dealing with voters is refuting the common belief he is no longer competitive for the Republican nomination.

I like Ron Paul’s message, but he does not have a chance to win so I’m not going to vote for him’ is something we hear often, Jgambellone said. I disagree. If you believe in it you have to vote for it.

Liston and Jgambellone both agree that their efforts serve more than one goal. Not only do they want to promote Ron Paul in the election, but they want to spread Paul’s message for the future.

He is our flagship at this point in time, Liston said. I believe there is a large group of people who want to hear our message.

Paul is a 10-term congressman who started his political career in 1978.

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” #1.1361234:2556003296.jpg:20080304_ron paul cover pic.jpg:Texas Rep. Ron Paul who is running for the GOP nomination.:COURTESY OF RON PAUL”