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Paul's surge no longer a surprise Julie Mason He's originally from Pennsylvania, but there is a lot that is ruggedly Texan about Republican Ron Paul and his insurgent, nonconformist presidential campaign. The quirky Lake Jackson congressman shifted from national political asterisk to respectably funded, potential New Hampshire wild card — where his anti-war stance is resonating with some early-state Republicans. "This guy has never been a conventional politician," said Dennis Simon, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University. "He stands up there at these debates, and everyone is defending the war but him. He stands out, and he seems different."
It's not just the war that is driving Paul's populist campaign. His exasperation with big government and tart denunciation of federal spending strikes a nerve with fiscal conservatives, particularly Republicans who have grown ill at ease with social conservatives' influence in the party. People want change On a broader scale, a recent USA Today poll found 72 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country. That kind of discontent presents an opening for Paul, a plain-speaking outsider, an anti-politician challenging the status quo. "Certainly people want change," said Guy McLendon, chairman of the Harris County Libertarian Party and a prominent local Paul supporter. "People want their elected officials to live by the rule of law." Within local Libertarian circles, McLendon said, there is strong support for Paul but also some soul-searching, because voting for him in Texas — if he is still in the race by the March 4 primary — would mean switching party affiliation.
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