Santorum has soared into third in Iowa, trailing just Paul and front-runner Mitt Romney, according to a key Des Moines Register survey. ATLANTIC, IOWA — As the Iowa campaign moves into its final, frantic days, a slumping Ron Paul came out swinging Sunday to deny charges he believed the U.S. was behind the 9/11 terror attacks.
A longtime Paul aide claimed last week that the Texas congressman thought the CIA had a hand in bringing down the World Trade Center — and that President George W. Bush was tipped off ahead of time.
“That’s complete nonsense,” an angry Paul said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“Come on, let’s be reasonable. That’s just off the wall.”
Paul’s support in Iowa has slipped slightly amid revelations that his old campaign newsletters contained racist material. He currently stands second in the polls — barely ahead of the hard-charging Rick Santorum.
Santorum has soared into third in Iowa, trailing just Paul and front-runner Mitt Romney, according to a key Des Moines Register survey.
Santorum’s low-budget campaign — often just the candidate and one aide — has visited all of Iowa's 99 counties and has drawn the support of the state’s large evangelical population, experts noted.
“They favor very conservative, non-Mormon candidates,” said Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia. “They’ve looked to many non-Mitt contenders over the past year — now they’ve discovered Santorum.”
Although Santorum’s well-timed surge could give him a win in Tuesday's caucuses, it remains unclear if his campaign — which is poorly organized in states outside of Iowa — can give the well-oiled Romney machine a run for its money.
“There are many other places where his campaign isn't just weak, it’s nonexistent,” said Sabato.
Poster Comment:
The RNC and the media went into overtime to smear Paul when he started leading the polls. Hopefully they didn't do too much damage. We'll see Tuesday.
