“Ron Paul has a proven ability to raise money, he is well known within the Republican Party, and he has a core of enthusiastic supporters,” says Peter Hanson, a political scientist at the University of Denver.

Indeed, during the fourth quarter of 2007, Paul outraised all of his GOP contenders in the 2008 race, bringing in about $20 million. He has also set the GOP record for the greatest 24-hour fundraising drive, raising $4.2 million in a November 2007 “money bomb.”

“His fundraising mojo is strong and proven,” says Doherty.

That’s thanks in part to a legion of loyal and zealous followers, says Wes Benedict. “His motivated activist base is a big strength for him,” says Mr. Benedict, executive director of the Libertarian National Committee in Washington. “People who like Ron Paul like him a whole lot.”

Paul also comes across as authentic and unwavering in his beliefs, says Benedict. “He’s been consistent for 40 years, even his detractors say that he tells the truth the way he sees it and he sticks to his principles.”