Where Ron Paul does well

Even though Ron Paul has won only a handful of counties in this still young primary season he has improved on his 2008 performance, particularly in Iowa where he picked up more counties than in all of the other states combined. Paul still has not won a state but we now have a clearer picture of where he does well.

Rural Communities

Nye County, NV

The rural Nevada community of Pahrump is typical of the places where Paul thrives. It is isolated, deeply conservative with"> a strong libertarian streak, and a history of resisting government intrusion into the community. Pahrump provided Paul with a repeat victory in Nye County and gave him his largest margin of victory in Nevada.

During Paul's only campaign stop there the libertarian spirit of the place was on full display as rally attendees were openly carrying side arms.

Coos County, NH

Paul edged Mitt Romney in this northern New Hampshire county by two points. Coos County, the largest and least populated county in the state, is far away from the Massachusetts border and more representative of the traditional spirit of the Live Free or Die state. It was the only county in the state that did not go to Romney.

Benton County, MN

Though Benton is not like Nye and filled entirely with unincorporated communities there are several surrounding the city of St. Cloud. Paul did well in Benton winning 55% of the vote.

Transcendental Communities

Jefferson County, IA
This county is home to the Maharishi University of Management and was Paul's strongest in Iowa. Paul picked up nearly 50% of the vote there. Paul won other counties in Iowa but he did not clean up in any of them the way he did in Jefferson. Paul's libertarianism, particularly his foreign policy positions, resonated with the large Transcendental community more than the mainline conservativism of the other candidates.

College Communities

Ramsey County, MN

Paul did not win Ramsey County but he came very close losing to Rick Santorum by only 64 votes. Ramsey has a large student population as it is home to many public and private universities including the University of Minnesota.. Again, Paul's libertarianism appeals to college students as they are staring at a bleak fiscal future and tend to be more receptive to Paul's social positions on things like the failed war on drugs and gay marriage.

Paul's coalition continues to provide him with victories in counties but in order for him to really break through he needs to pick up an entire state. Based on what we know about where he does well it appears unlikely Paul can pull this off though there are places he could really come close like Idaho, Wyoming, and North Dakota.