Texas Congressman and Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul said Monday that he remains optimistic that his campaign will secure a victory on Tuesday, telling supporters that his message is “reaching new voters.”
“[There is a] dramatic realization of the failure of federal government and our politicians to deliver and they want something different,” said during a campaign event on Monday in Cedar Rapids. “There’s been a group that’s sort of been brought down, they haven’t been voting. Some never voted before, and finally feel energized.”
Mr. Paul’s comment comes as he is widely seen as one of the front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination. A pair of polls released Monday finds Mr. Paul trailing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by just two percent.
Speaking at another campaign rally on Monday, Mr. Paul joined his son, Kentucky U.S. Senator Rand Paul, both of whom stirred up hundreds of supporters packing a downtown Des Moines hotel ballroom, at times interrupting fiery political talk with chants of “Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul!”
“The American people are stirring,” said Mr. Paul. “We are sick and tired of endless spending, and government doing things they shouldn’t be involved in and not doing the things they should be doing.”
Still, it remains unclear whether Mr. Paul can marshal support into votes. Asked Monday whether he is considering exiting the race if he fails to succeed in the Iowa caucus, Mr. Paul simply said he remains focused on winning in Iowa.
