Vocal supporters of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, wave banners before the start of the Univision Republican debate at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., on Dec. 9.

CLOSE-UP: RON PAUL CLOSE-UP: RON PAUL In-depth: Paul news, photos, videos, timeline, more... Ron Paul on the 2008 campaign issues: Iraq | Immigration | Health care | Education | Abortion | Gay civil rights USA TODAY INTERACTIVE QUIZ USA TODAY INTERACTIVE QUIZ 'Money bomb': Ron Paul raises $6 million in 24-hour period Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, raised an astounding $6 million and change Sunday, his campaign said, almost certainly guaranteeing he'll outraise his rivals for the Republican nomination in the fourth quarter and likely will be able to fund a presence in many of the states that vote Feb. 5. Paul's campaign spokesman late Sunday announced the campaign had eclipsed the $5.7 million that John Kerry raised the day after he locked up the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination – arguably the largest single-day fundraising haul in U.S. political history. POLITICS BLOG: Paul's goal exceeded two weeks early WHEN DO I VOTE?: Nomination contest calendar Paul, whose campaign has been embraced by a zealous community of online supporters, raised eyebrows when donors acting independently of the campaign dropped $4.2 million into his campaign coffers Nov. 5. Still, the libertarian-leaning Paul is considered a distant long-shot by conventional political calculations and has languished in the mid-single digits in most national polls. His campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said Sunday's haul put the campaign over $18 million in fundraising since Oct. 1, 50% more than its goal of $12 million. He said the extra funds would be used to pay new staffers and air more ads in early states. He said the campaign planned to bring 300 students to Iowa to canvass over winter break. "We have a lot of time to close in the polls," Benton said, and he asserted traditional polls "underestimate … Paul's real support." That's partly because they attempt to query folks who have voted Republican, and Benton asserted that Paul's base draws heavily from those who have shied away from the party or were not previously politically active. For instance, he said 24,940 new donors contributed during the Dec. 16 haul. It was timed for the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a day meant to resonant with the Libertarian sensibilities of his supporters. The man who engineered it — a 37-year-old music promoter named Trevor Lyman — has no official ties to the campaign and had no political experience to speak of before he engineered the innovative model for the Nov. 5 fundraising haul. He set up a website that solicited pledges for contributions to be made directly to the Paul campaign on that day — a technique that became known as a "money bomb," which he used again to such great effect Sunday. In an interview late last month, he told Politico.com he thought it was "bad for the country" that fundraising played such a prominent role in American politics. "The democratic process should be based on candidates' ideas, but we had to go within the system," he said. "We have to use the money to get people to pay attention to what [Paul] actually stands for." Capitol News Company, LLC.™ All Rights Reserved. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more