New Ron Paul 'money bomb' may break record

By: Kenneth P. Vogel
Dec 16, 2007 10:58 PM EST

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) raised an astounding $5.58 million and counting on Sunday, almost certainly guaranteeing he’ll out-raise his rivals for the Republican nomination in the fourth quarter and likely will be able to fund a presence in many of states that vote Feb. 5.

Paul’s campaign spokesman late Sunday was predicting the campaign by midnight would eclipse the $5.7 million that John Kerry raised the day after he locked up the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination – arguably the largest single-day fundraising haul in U.S. political history.

Paul, whose campaign has been embraced by a zealous community of online supporters, raised eyebrows when donors acting independently of the campaign dropped $4.2 million into his campaign coffers Nov. 5.

Still, the Libertarian-leaning Paul is considered a distant long-shot by conventional political calculations and has languished in the mid-single digits in most national polls.

His campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said Sunday’s haul put the campaign over $17.5 million in fundraising since Oct. 1, which he said would be used to pay new staffers and air more ads in early states.

He said the campaign planned to bring 300 students to Iowa to canvass over winter break.

“We have a lot of time to close in the polls,â€