Ron Paul beat Mitt Romney in 10 states! Kind of.
Here鈥檚 something you hear on cable news all the time: Ron Paul hasn鈥檛 won a primary. He hasn鈥檛 won a caucus. Sure, he鈥檚 stealing a delegate at state conventions here and there, because his forces are well organized. But he鈥檚 lost. He should drop out and settle for an early-afternoon speaking slot at the Republican convention.
Here鈥檚 something you don鈥檛 hear: Representative Paul actually beat Mitt Romney in 10 states. In a manner of speaking.
What are we talking about? Money, that鈥檚 what. Political pros are fond of talking about the 鈥渕oney primary,鈥� in which candidates compete, not for votes, but for campaign donations. It鈥檚 a crucial part of any nomination race, because a candidate without cash is like a shark that鈥檚 not moving forward, if you understand what we鈥檙e saying.
Look at Newt Gingrich: Don鈥檛 you think that deep down he really doesn鈥檛 want to drop out? But his campaign has run up millions of dollars in debt. He鈥檚 a sinking shark. (He loves zoos and aquariums, too, so he鈥檇 understand the reference.)
Paul, on the other hand, is still swimming. In the money primary context, the GOP nomination race has almost always been a two-man contest between Mr. Romney and Paul. Through the first quarter of 2012, Romney raised $87 million and Paul $37 million, according to the . Mr. Gingrich鈥檚 soon-to-be-extinct effort garnered $22 million, while Rick Santorum raised $21 million before he dropped out.
What鈥檚 more, Paul currently has about $1.7 million cash on hand, and debts of $0. Gingrich has $1.2 million cash on hand, and debts of $4.3 million, according to the latest public figures.
OK, OK, presumptive nominee Romney has $10 million in the bank, no debts, and a general election looming on the horizon. But before we pivot toward November, let鈥檚 remember that Paul outraised Romney in 10 states, including some that will be key battlegrounds in the fall, according to figures compiled by Eric Ostermeier, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota鈥檚 Hubert H. Humphrey Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.
鈥淩on Paul leads Mitt Romney in large donor itemized fundraising in 10 states, representing all four geographical regions from the northeast (Maine), the South (Arkansas), the Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin) and the West (Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico),鈥� writes Mr. Ostermeier on his
If small-donor contributions were rolled into the figures, it is likely Paul would have won the money primary in a few other states, such as Vermont, Delaware, and Montana, Ostermeier writes.
Of course, Romney had a big cash lead in rich states such as New York and California. That鈥檚 how he ended up with all those tens of millions of campaign simoleons. But Paul did beat Romney somewhere, in something. You can take it to the bank. 聽
