User talk:JLMadrigal/Sandbox

On 11 January 2007, Representative Ron Paul filed papers to form an exploratory committee for the 2008 presidential race. He formally declared his candidacy 12 March 2007 as a guest on Washington Journal on C-SPAN. click here to view the C-SPAN Interview

The Associated Press reports:
 * Kent Snyder, the chairman of Paul’s exploratory committee and a former staffer on Paul’s Libertarian campaign, said the congressman knows he’s a long shot.


 * Snyder said Paul is running to win, not just to make a point or to try to ensure that his issues are addressed. Snyder said that Paul and his supporters are not intimidated by the presence of nationally known and better-financed candidates, such as U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona or former Governor Willard Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.


 * “This is going to be a grassroots American campaign,” he said. “For us, it’s either going to happen at the grassroots level or it’s not.”

On 22 January 2007, Reason Magazine Senior Editor Brian Doherty interviewed Paul about his presidential bid. When asked about what issues he would emphasize, Paul responded:


 * Everything I’ve talked about for twenty years! I think the biggest thing for Republican primary voters is that most Republicans are turned off right now. They’ve had a beating and are reassessing their values. They have to decide what they believe in. The Republican Party has become about big government conservatism, and Republicans need to hear the message they used to hear: that conservatives are supposed to be for small government.

Paul also indicated that his grassroots campaign will attempt to take full advantage of the Internet. On 20 February Paul's exploratory committee posted a formal video of him explaining his reason for running on YouTube. At the 2007 New Hampshire Liberty Forum, Ron Paul received the endorsement of the 2004 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Michael Badnarik.

Campaign development
Paul began the race as a Republican behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona, and former Governor Willard Mitt Romney of Massachusetts in the polls. He has recieved little attention so far in the mainstream media.

On the internet, however, he has an edge over the other Republican candidates in terms of popularity. For example, he currently has the greatest number of "friends" for republican candidates at MySpace.com, and rates fourth overall, behind Obama, Clinton, and Edwards respectively.

Endorsements
The following individuals and organizations are endorsing Paul's candidacy; (List will be updated, as time progresses)

Congressmen

 * Walter B. Jones - R-North Carolina
 * John Duncan - R-Tennessee