Away from the spotlight of Ohio, Paul has been campaigning hard in Idaho – focusing on delegates over individual votes

There is rarely much doubt about the fervour of Ron Paul's supporters. But even so, Kate Dalebout, 23, counts as one of the most enthusiastic.

Cradling her 14-month old baby and waiting for her hero to speak at a rally in her hometown of Moscow, Idaho, she explained that her husband worked as a teacher for a local school.

But, despite the fact her young family relied almost solely on a government wage, Dalebout said she and her spouse were vehement Ron Paul supporters even though the budget-slashing Texan congressman wanted to scrap the department of education.

"There would be less money spent on education. We are OK with that," Dalebout said. "It would be better for the country as a whole. We are not focused on ourselves."

Yet, despite such hardcore support, the Paul campaign remains without a win in the 2012 Republican race. It is hoping to change that in today's Super Tuesday polls by making a serious bid for Idaho, a vast but sparsely populated slice of the American west.

It could prove to be fertile ground. In 2008, Paul won 24% of the vote in Idaho, in what was then a primary contest. It was Paul's strongest showing by far. Since then, his campaign has only grown stronger and now Idaho is holding a caucus vote, which should favour his committed, hardworking support base.

Paul has also devoted a massive amount of time to the state compared with his rivals. Paul spent Tuesday in Idaho criss-crossing its mountains and valleys and making four campaign stops. On Super Tuesday itself he is due to hold yet another rally near the state's biggest city, Boise.

"He thinks he can pull this off in Idaho. He thinks he has a chance of winning," said Professor Gary Moncrief, a political scientist at Boise State University.

At the meeting in Moscow, Paul addressed a crowd of more than 1,000 in the local university's vast sports arena. He hit all his usual themes: calling for US troops to come home, promising massive cuts, condemning government and vowing to fight for a different monetary policy. He framed it all in the context of a revolution of ideas. "Even armies can't stop an idea whose time has come … I see a turning point," he said.

But Paul is not the only candidate with an interest here. Idaho is deep in the Republican heartland with a strong anti-government streak. That makes it ideal territory for Paul but also a good test for Mitt Romney to see if the frontrunner can win in a state so dominated by conservatives.

Romney has cause for hope. In nearby Wyoming, which held a lengthy series of precinct caucus meetings that concluded a week ago, Romney won 39% of the vote, compared with 32% for former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum and 21% for Paul. If Romney could repeat that performance in Idaho it would show he can win states where conservatives dominate. That victory would be used to answer critics who say he fails to excite the activist base.

Romney, too, has spent valuable time in the state recently. He pulled in big crowds at an Idaho Falls rally and is hoping for a boost from the quarter or so of the population that shares his Mormon faith. Suddenly, Idaho – usually ignored in the nomination race – has attracted national interest.

"The local party here has moved Idaho up the calendar in order to have more of a voice and they have been successful. Idaho has got a lot of attention," said Moncrief.

But Idaho remains a fundamental test for the Paul campaign and it has pulled out all the stops. In a cheeky move aimed at tweaking the nose of the Romney campaign, the Paul team in Idaho has recruited members of Romney's family; the campaign is touting five distant relatives who all bear the surname Romney but at the caucuses will be urging Idaho residents to vote for Paul.

"I support Ron Paul because he defends the constitution, loves America and understands what it means to be an American," said Travis Romney, who is a second cousin once removed to the former Massachusetts governor.

But, unlike Romney, winning the popular vote is not the be all and end all for the Paul campaign. Idaho is a classic example of a state where Paul's "delegate strategy" could bear fruit. That refers to the plan to focus on the complex rules often deployed by caucus states in the ways they apportion the delegates sent to the national party convention in Tampa in August. It is often a Byzantine process that favours more committed supporters, rather than those who just turn up, vote and leave.

With its hardcore voters, the Paul campaign is betting it will get a far larger proportion of delegates than its headline popular vote would suggest. And it is those vital delegates who will officially pick the Republican nominee at the party convention. Paul's aim is to take as many delegates as he can to Florida in order to – at minimum – grab a primetime speaking slot and influence the party's policy platform.

Idaho could be a rich haul. The state has 32 delegates; a greater number than more publicised states like Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire. "We are not cheating the system," said Doug Wead, a senior Ron Paul adviser. "It is a poor man's campaign. It is a chance for people who really care to express themselves. The people who win the delegates in the caucus states are the people who will care enough to put the work in."

Paul himself, speaking to reporters after the Moscow rally, said the strategy was working well in caucus states so far and already bringing in more delegates than rivals who beat him in the popular vote. "Our supporters are willing to go through the process," he said.

Scott Thurston, 53, is one of those who care enough to be an activist. He will be speaking at an Idaho caucus, acting as a campaign surrogate and urging his fellow Idahoans to back Paul. He has been a Paul supporter since the 1990s, even maintaining a website devoted to him. Thurston is overjoyed at the delegate strategy. "I think he'll get the majority of delegates in Idaho," he said.

Wead said he was convinced the Paul campaign could also win the popular vote in Idaho. But he added that the Paul campaign had wider aims than those of rivals. "We have got a campaign for Ron Paul that wants to win but we also have an educational side to it. We are thrilled with that. There are many victories besides the simple result."