Ron Paul Revolution Rolls on in Pennsylvania

Ron Paul posted his eleventh double-digit finish of the campaign, and his first in a primary, racking up over 125,000 votes on his way to a second-place finish in Pennsylvania with 16% of the vote. Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain received just 73% of the vote, while the only other major candidate remaining on the ballot, Mike Huckabee, received 11%.

Pennsylvania Republican Primary (99% reporting)

73% -- John McCain (574,485 votes)
16% -- Ron Paul (125,870 votes)
11% -- Mike Huckabee (89,985 votes)

The 125,000+ votes made Ron Paul's native Pennsylvania his most impressive finish to date, edging out California's 110,000. The 16% tally doubled his best showing in a primary state so far, set in New Hampshire, Washington, and the District of Columbia, each at 8%. He earned higher percentages in caucuses in Montana, Washington, North Dakota, Maine, and Alaska, but with far fewer voters participating.

Ron Paul made several well-attended campaign appearances in Pennsylvania, and aired radio ads as in other states, but received very little free media coverage, as most mainstream commentators focused exclusively on the still-competitive Democratic race.

It would be hard to interpret the results as anything other than a growing show of support for Ron Paul's limited government, pro-freedom, pro-peace campaign. Voters looking for a pure protest vote against McCain, considered unacceptable by many conservatives, had a ready option in Mike Huckabee, who appeared on the Pennsylvania ballot despite dropping out long ago.

Pennsylvania sends 74 delegates to the Republican national convention, but none of them were determined by the presidential primary vote today. Instead, 61 are directly elected by the voters during the primary, 10 are selected by the state Republican committee, and 3 are state party leaders. All 74 delegates go as officially unpledged. It is not clear as of this posting how many of the 61 delegates are possible Ron Paul supporters.

In other states, Ron Paul supporters have been operating mostly below the radar, attending precinct, county, and district conventions to earn spots on their national convention delegations. Scattered reports from Texas, Missouri, Washington, and elsewhere have indicated that Ron Paul may be earning significantly more delegates than the totals estimated in the media based on primary and caucus results. Many of these delegates are bound to their state's winner on at least the first ballot, but could carry some influence in setting state and national platform planks.

Ron Paul Primary and Caucus Results

Ron Paul's election results, updated through April 22nd:

Caucus Results (votes, % reporting)

25% -- Montana: 400 (100%)
22% -- Washington: 2,666 (96%)
21% -- North Dakota: 2,082 (100%)
19% -- Maine: 851 (68%)
17% -- Alaska: 1,955 (98%)
16% -- Minnesota: 9,852 (100%)
14% -- Nevada: 6,087 (100%)
11% -- Kansas: 2,182 (100%)
10% -- Iowa: 11,817 (98%)
10% -- West Virginia: 118 (100%)
8% -- Colorado: 4,670 (95%)

Primary Results (votes, % reporting)

16% -- Pennsylvania: 125,870 (99%)
8% -- Washington: 40,539 (100%)
8% -- New Hampshire: 18,303 (100%)
8% -- District of Columbia: 471 (98%)
7% -- New York: 38,918 (99%)
7% -- Vermont: 2,627 (99%)
7% -- Rhode Island: 1,775 (100%)
6% -- Michigan: 54,434 (100%)
6% -- Tennessee: 30,730 (100%)
6% -- Maryland: 17,865 (97%)
5% -- Texas: 69,954 (100%)
5% -- Ohio: 49,027 (100%)
5% -- Illinois: 45,166 (99%)
5% -- New Jersey: 26,952 (99%)
5% -- Wisconsin: 18,771 (97%)
5% -- Arkansas: 10,740 (100%)
5% -- Louisiana: 8,595 (100%)
4% -- California: 110,077 (100%)
4% -- Missouri: 26,445 (100%)
4% -- Arizona: 22,581 (99% )
4% -- Virginia: 22,066 (99%)
4% -- South Carolina: 16,054 (100%)
4% -- Connecticut: 6,092 (100%)
4% -- Mississippi: 5,510 (100%)
4% -- Delaware: 2,131 (100%)
3% -- Florida: 62,063 (99%)
3% -- Georgia: 27,978 (100%)
3% -- Alabama: 15,454 (99%)
3% -- Massachusetts: 13,210 (100%)
3% -- Oklahoma: 11,179 (100%)
3% -- Utah: 8,295 (99%)

Ron Paul has received over 800,000 votes nationwide so far, with CNN and The Green Papers putting his national convention delegate total at 21. Sources closer to the campaign put the number somewhere between 40 and 50 so far.

CNN gives Paul credit for 5 delegates from Alaska, 2 from Iowa, 4 from Nevada, 5 from North Dakota, and 5 from Washington. The Green Papers agrees with CNN on Alaska, Nevada, and North Dakota, but gives him 4 in Iowa and 3 in Maine. Only the North Dakota delegates have been officially pledged so far, so other delegate totals are estimates based on caucus results.

Taking the higher of the estimates from CNN and The Green Papers, adding in 3 delegates from West Virginia secured in a deal with the Huckabee campaign, and estimating 5 more delegates from Minnesota and 4 from Louisiana would bring the total to 38.

Ron Paul Primary Update: Wisconsin and Washington

Ron Paul posted two of his better showings in primary states today, hitting 7% in Washington and 5% in Wisconsin. John McCain won both states and continued to close in on the Republican nomination. 40 delegates were at stake in Wisconsin, and 19 of Washington's 40 delegates will be determined by today's results.

Updated results nationwide:

Caucus States (votes, % reporting)

25% -- Montana: 400 (100%)
22% -- Washington: 2,666 (96%)
21% -- North Dakota: 2,082 (100%)
19% -- Maine: 851 (68%)
17% -- Alaska: 1,955 (98%)
16% -- Minnesota: 9,852 (100%)
14% -- Nevada: 6,087 (100%)
11% -- Kansas: 2,182 (100%)
10% -- Iowa: 11,817 (98%)
10% -- West Virginia: 118 (100%)
8% -- Colorado: 4,670 (95%)

Primary States (votes, % reporting)

8% -- New Hampshire: 18,303 (100%)
8% -- District of Columbia: 471 (98%)
7% -- New York: 38,918 (99%)
7% -- Washington: 26,798 (54%)
6% -- Michigan: 54,434 (100%)
6% -- Tennessee: 30,730 (100%)
6% -- Maryland: 17,865 (97%)
5% -- Illinois: 45,166 (99%)
5% -- New Jersey: 26,952 (99%)
5% -- Wisconsin: 18,771 (97%)
5% -- Arkansas: 10,740 (100%)
5% -- Louisiana: 8,595 (100%)
4% -- California: 110,077 (100%)
4% -- Missouri: 26,445 (100%)
4% -- Arizona: 22,581 (99% )
4% -- Virginia: 22,066 (99%)
4% -- South Carolina: 16,054 (100%)
4% -- Connecticut: 6,092 (100%)
4% -- Delaware: 2,131 (100%)
3% -- Florida: 62,063 (99%)
3% -- Georgia: 27,978 (100%)
3% -- Alabama: 15,454 (99%)
3% -- Massachusetts: 13,210 (100%)
3% -- Oklahoma: 11,179 (100%)
3% -- Utah: 8,295 (99%)

Ron Paul Campaign -- a Look Ahead

While today's Presidents Day money bomb was relatively unpublicized, and most supporters have accepted that Ron Paul's chances of winning the Republican presidential nomination are all but gone, it still brought in a respectable sum -- over $75,000 for his presidential campaign and more than $300,000 for his Congressional race. The combined haul was one of the better days of the past year, and showed the continuing strength of the Ron Paul Revolution.

As the primary season winds down, here is a look at the remaining states, with an indication of where Ron Paul might do the best, based on his 2007 fundraising totals in those states, compared to McCain and Huckabee. Ron Paul was the leading fundraiser of the three in Washington, Indiana, Nebraska, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Idaho, and New Mexico. The list below shows the remaining primaries, and the percentage of the three remaining candidates' funds raised in each state by Ron Paul:

Fundraising Percentage in Remaining States

Date	State	RP Pct
19-Feb	WI	41.0%
19-Feb	WA	56.6%
4-Mar	OH	38.8%
4-Mar	RI	33.3%
4-Mar	TX	32.6%
4-Mar	VT	28.4%
11-Mar	MS	14.6%
22-Apr	PA	42.1%
6-May	IN	47.3%
6-May	NC	30.4%
13-May	NE	41.7%
13-May	WV	53.6%
20-May	KY	52.2%
20-May	OR	53.4%
27-May	ID	51.8%
3-Jun	SD	30.7%
3-Jun	NM	56.1%

Ron Paul has already done well in the Washington caucuses on February 9th with 22% of the vote, but another 19 of the state's 40 delegates are up for grabs in tomorrow's primary. All of the remaining state contests are primaries, so the mark to beat is the 8% recorded in New Hampshire and the District of Columbia. Washington looks like the best bet to top that mark, followed by the final race of the year, in New Mexico on June 3rd.

West Virginia has already held its state convention and elected most of its delegates, but 9 more are on the line in its May 13th primary. In five of the final six states, Ron Paul raised more money than John McCain and Mike Huckabee combined, so if Ron Paul supporters continue to turn out to vote while the other candidates' supporters assume the race is over and don't show up, it could set up a strong finish for our favorite presidential candidate.

Ron Paul Matches His Best Primary Showing in DC

Ron Paul matched his best primary showing so far, polling 8% in the District of Columbia. He earned 6% of the vote in the Maryland primary, and 5% in Virginia's. John McCain won all three primaries to solidify his grip on the Republican nomination, with the only close contest in Virginia, where he topped Huckabee 50% to 41%.

McCain won all 63 delegates in Virginia, all 16 delegates available in DC, and appears to have won most of Maryland's 37 delegates at stake today, although individual district results could give a few to Huckabee. With 82% of the vote counted in Maryland, McCain was leading Huckabee 55% to 30%. Party leaders in Virginia and Maryland are pledged to the statewide winner, but the three party leader delegates in the District of Columbia are unpledged.

Ron Paul Wins Double-digit Support in Kansas and Washington

UPDATE: News from the Ron Paul Forums indicates that Ron Paul may have WON the Washington caucuses today. Official results show 13% of the delegates listed as uncommitted, but many of these may have been Ron Paul supporters who listed no preference on their caucus sign-in sheets. If this is the case, we should know by February 19th, when 18 of Washington's 40 national convention delegates are selected at the state convention.


Ron Paul showed once again the strength of his grassroots organization, winning 21% of the vote in Washington and 11% in Kansas in Republican caucuses held today. The strong showings by Dr. Paul came just one day after an email to supporters ruling out a third party run and stressing the importance of retaining his Congressional seat, while continuing his Republican presidential bid until the national convention.

He didn't fare as well in the Louisiana presidential preference primary, earning just 5% of the vote, but due to state party rules, none of Louisiana's delegates will be determined by the primary, since none of the candidates received a majority of the vote. With 100% of the vote in, Mike Huckabee won with 43% and John McCain finished second with 42%. Mitt Romney earned 7% of the vote, despite officially suspending his campaign earlier this week.

Louisiana's delegates will be selected at the state convention on February 16th, by the district delegates elected in the caucuses on January 22nd. The majority of those delegates belong to an unpledged "Pro Life/Pro Family" slate, with Ron Paul officially finishing second to John McCain in pledged delegates, but protesting the results due to several irregularities in the proceedings.

Kansas had 36 of its 39 national delegates at stake today, and it appears that all 36 will go to Mike Huckabee, who won handily with 60% of the vote, to 24% for McCain, 11% for Paul, and 3% for Romney. The other 3 belong to state party leaders.

Washington had 18 of its 40 delegates at stake today, to eventually be determined at the state convention on May 30th. With 87% of the vote counted, John McCain was leading in Washington at 26%, followed by Huckabee at 24%, Paul at 21%, and Romney at 16%, with the remaining 13% uncommitted. 19 more Washington delegates will be determined in the state primary on February 19th. As usual, state party leaders make up the other 3 delegates.

The day's results had to be an embarrassment to the McCain campaign, as he earned only a quarter of the vote in Kansas and Washington, despite being declared the presumptive nominee by the national media, and earned no delegates in Kansas or Louisiana. Mike Huckabee continues to cling to hope of keeping McCain from locking up the nomination before the convention, although he would have to continue winning in the remaining contests, and winning big, for that to happen.

Ron Paul Super Tuesday Results

With 21 states holding Republican primaries, caucuses, conventions, or direct delegate elections today, there are a lot of numbers to keep track of. Here's a quick summary of Ron Paul's results so far, with percentage of the vote and total votes earned so far. I will update this later as more results come in.

Caucus States (% reporting)

25% -- Montana: 400 votes (100%)
21% -- North Dakota: 2,082 votes (100%)
17% -- Alaska: 1,955 votes (98%)
16% -- Minnesota: 9,739 votes (95%)
10% -- West Virginia: 118 votes (100%)
8% -- Colorado: 4,670 votes (95%)

Primary States (% reporting)

7% -- New York: 38,871 (99%)
6% -- Tennessee: 30,730 (100%)
5% -- Illinois: 44,531 (97%)
5% -- New Jersey: 26,878 (99%)
5% -- Arkansas: 10,128 votes (95%)
4% -- California: 98,525 votes (99%)
4% -- Missouri: 26,445 (100%)
4% -- Arizona: 19,160 votes (93% )
4% -- Connecticut: 6,092 votes (100%)
4% -- Delaware: 2,131 votes (100%)
3% -- Georgia: 27,975 (99%)
3% -- Alabama: 15,454 votes (99%)
3% -- Massachusetts: 13,210 (100%)
3% -- Oklahoma: 11,179 (100%)
3% -- Utah: 8,295 (99%)

Ron Paul is running in fourth place pretty much across the board, but earned a solid second place in Montana, and edged out Huckabee for third place in North Dakota and in Utah. He also beat John McCain for third place in Alaska.

Ron Paul appears to be picking up a few national delegates in Alaska, North Dakota, and Minnesota, and reportedly cut a deal with Huckabee in West Virginia to earn three more. Despite the strong showing in Montana, all of its delegates go to the state winner, Mitt Romney. CNN is estimating that Ron Paul picked up 5 delegates in Alaska and 5 in North Dakota, but shows Romney winning all of the delegates in Minnesota, even though the presidential preference straw poll there was non-binding.