Paul hardly proved to be frugal late last year, spending nearly $15.1 million on core. Paul's campaign raises $13 million

Ron Paul might prefer gold to paper, but Republican presidential candidate can’t be displeased with the greenbacks filling his campaign coffer.

Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, the veteran Texas congressman reported raising $13.32 million — a tribute to his passionate, if limited, stable of supporters.


About 56 percent of Paul’s contribution total came from people donating $200 or less, federal disclosure reports his campaign filed just before midnight Wednesday indicate.

The haul is about $3.5 million more than fellow GOP hopeful Newt Gingrich raised during the same period but still well off the torrid cash-collecting pace set by Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama.

Paul hardly proved to be frugal late last year, spending nearly $15.1 million on core, if largely pedestrian campaign expenses: advertisements, postage, travel, salaries, office space. He ended the year with $1.9 million cash on hand.

Paul finished a distant fourth in Tuesday’s Florida primary, although the result wasn’t a surprise: the congressman from Texas is focusing his resources on smaller states that conduct caucuses, where he believes he’ll find more success mobilizing his backers.

He also has the support of the Endorse Liberty super PAC, which has spent several million dollars in support of his candidacy and is funded in large part by PayPal founder Peter Thiel.