Ron Paul: Las Vegas Here I Come! – TheStreet.com

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Ron Paul’s campaign has gone dark in Florida. Voters found the Texas Congressman absent from the Sunshine State on Friday as he had turned his attention away from the large and expensive primary, but a brief ride through Las Vegas, Nev. would reveal that Paul has ramped up his campaign there.

Ron Paul

Nevada’s Republican caucuses are on Feb. 4, which could be a grueling four-day turnaround from Florida for Gingrich and Romney. Rick Santorum has decided move on from Florida. Ron Paul began to run ads more than a week ago in Nevada as “part of our delegate strategy to secure the Republican nomination,” Jesse Benton, Paul campaign chairman, said in a Jan. 20 press statement. Benton said Nevada presents “opportunities for a strong top-three showing in their upcoming caucuses.” Nevada’s race presents an advantageous race for Paul, whose loyal and eager supporters have the right attitude for its laborious caucus process. “Caucuses are a much clearer sign of enthusiasm, and [Paul's] supporters clearly have the enthusiasm factor and the loyalty factor,” says Robert Uithoven, a Nevada Republican political consultant. “They show up, they influence the discussion at these caucus events, and he tends to do much better in caucuses than he does in primaries.” Paul ran as the late front-runner in the Iowa caucuses until Rick Santorum stole his momentum in the final days of campaigning there. Santorum won an historic decision in Iowa while Paul slid to third. Beyond that fact that Nevada is a caucus state, the Paul campaign feels confident there because the candidate can pick off crucial proportional delegates. Since Paul finished second on the New Hampshire primary, his campaign has sent some 23 press statements about Nevada endorsements, events and community support. By comparison, Mitt Romney, who is the current front-runner in the state, has sent about four Nevada-themed emails. This doesn’t mean Paul is winning the ground in Nevada. Romney released this week a monster television ad campaign in the state that attacks Newt Gingrich on the housing crisis — Nevada has one of the worst foreclosure rates (1 in every 177 housing units) in the country — and he hit radio airwaves two weeks ago.