Who Is Ron Paul?

Monday, July 9th 2007, 8:00 pm

By: News On 6

Oklahomans are still seven months away from casting a presidential ballot, but campaign signs are already starting to pop up. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports you might be surprised to see whose name is on the sign.

Hillary, Obama, Giuliani, McCain, they may be the media darlings, but some of the first political signs to spring up in Tulsa don't belong to any of them. The man who seems to be winning the grassroots race in Green Country so far is Republican long-shot Ron Paul.

"Once I did the research I found out that was the guy I could really relate to," Ron Paul supporter Sid Burgess said.

Haskell resident Sid Burgess says he didn't even know who Ron Paul was when he watched the Republican debate. But he says he liked what the Texas congressman had to say.

"A message of going back to our Constitution, fighting for real freedom in our country, protecting our own country and our own citizens that's a message that we're not hearing enough,â€ said Burgess. â€œI think he will be able to give that message to our country."

Paul voted against the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, and he wants to slash taxes and reduce government spending.

"I wanted to be involved. The more I got to know him the more I wanted to get involved and help him out in some way," Burgess said.

He joined the internet campaign through meetup.com. Burgess says they have more than 50 members who meet up, plant homemade signs and handout flyers. Paul still barely registers in the polls, but a groundswell of web support has helped him build a war-chest that's rivaling John McCain. And his YouTube page views are second only to Barak Obama.

"I hope he wins,â€ said Burgess. â€œI have a lot of faith in his campaign, but more important than the candidate is his message to me."

While some of the other candidates have come to Oklahoma for fundraisers and rallies, Ron Paul has not made it here yet. Although he did come to the state when he ran for president in 1988.

Watch the video: Presidential Long Shot Popular In Oklahoma