WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, aided by an extraordinary outpouring of Internet support Monday, claimed to haul in more than $4.2 million in nearly 24 hours.
Paul's reported total deposed Mitt Romney as the single-day fundraising record holder in the Republican presidential field. When it comes to sums amassed in one day, Paul now ranks behind only Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
Paul, the Texas congressman with a libertarian tilt and an out-of-Iraq pitch, entered such heady fundraising territory with a surge of Web-based giving tied to Guy Fawkes Day.
Fawkes was a British mercenary who failed in his attempt to kill King James I on Nov. 5, 1605. He also was the model for the protagonist in the 2005 movie "V for Vendetta," which was adapted from David Lloyd's graphic novel of the same name.
Paul backers motivated Internet donors by posting mashed-up clips of the film on YouTube.
Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said backers began the effort independently about two months ago. He said Paul picked up on the movement, mentioning it in speeches and interviews. "It's been kind of building up virally," Benton said.
The $3.5 million, he said, represented online contributions from more than 22,000 donors.
Ron Paul's Record Online HaulToday, Nov. 5, marks not only Paul's best fundraising haul in a single day -- approximately $3.75 million by 11 p.m. EST -- but online observers say it's also the most money raised by a candidate on the Web in a single day. And the day's not over yet. "Damn. Wow. Um, that's pretty awesome," said a stunned Jerome Armstrong who served as Howard Dean's online strategist. Armstrong, the founder of the popular blog MyDD, said Dean raised as much as $700,000 in one day toward the end of the primary race. "But not a million," Armstrong added. "What Paul is doing -- or what his supporters are doing -- is really impressive." You can view all the fundraising data here.
