Paul’s heartlands campaign rattles mainstream Republican opponents

Political elbows are sharp in Iowa, and it is a 76-year-old libertarian who is currently on the receiving end of most of the digs to the ribs.

Just days before the state’s caucuses go some way to influencing who wins the Republican nod for a White House run, Ron Paul’s star appears to be rising.

The Texas congressman is now just a few percentage points behind frontrunner Mitt Romney in the polls, with many pundits coming around to the idea that he has a real chance of a morale-boosting top-two finish in Iowa.

It has prompted a rearguard action by his rivals, who have been quick to dismiss the former doctor as a “dangerous” candidate who is out of step with the Republican mainstream.

On both abortion and gay marriage, Dr Paul is out of step with his main rivals in refusing to push for a federal ban.

He is pro-life and holds the view that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but believes it should be up to individual states to decide.

However, it is his views on foreign policy and national security that has attracted most criticism from his fellow Republican hopefuls.

He has consistently opposed legislation that compromises personal liberties in exchange for checks against terrorism, and was among those who called for the closure of Guantanamo Bay detention complex.

Such stances have led Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvanian senator running for the presidential candidacy, to describe Dr Paul as being “on the left of Barack Obama on national security”.

The candidate is also ardently against the US having a wide international role, calling for a massive rollback in foreign aid and military intervention overseas.

Having been one of only a handful of Republicans to vote against involvement in Iraq, Dr Paul has described sanctions on Iran as a “precursor to war” and said he understands Iran’s desire to have a nuclear weapon to defend itself.

Rival and former house speaker Newt Gingrich said: “I’m very uncomfortable with the idea that the commander-in-chief would think it was irrelevant to have an Iranian nuclear weapon.”

Tea Party favourite Michele Bachmann joined her fellow Republicans in a spot of Paul-bashing this week, saying the candidate would be “dangerous as president”.

She has special reason to feel aggrieved by his surge in support. On Wednesday, her top adviser in Iowa jumped ship to the Paul camp.

Dr Paul’s consistent anti-government views, civil libertarian rhetoric and anti-war policies have built up a loyal following, especially among younger voters. It appears to have yielded results.

A CNN survey taken on Wednesday revealed a five percentage point boost for the candidate.

With 22 per cent of Republicans in Iowa saying they supported him, Dr Paul trails only Mr Romney on 25 per cent.

The major shake-up has prompted some political pundits to rethink their belief that Dr Paul has no chance.

However, most are still of the opinion that Iowa will be the high point in an eventually doomed campaign, with the following two primaries favouring more mainstream candidates.