Ron Paul Best Payout Odds Yet

It's been a while since we saw Republican US Presidential candidate Ron Paul with such long betting odds: now 20/1 at Sportsbook.com - down from 10/1 and a peak at 6/1 this fall.  This is to be expected following his 5th place finish in Iowa we suppose.

But Iowa has 99 counties, and among the 25 or so Eastern most counties, Gambling911.com has observed that Ron Paul scored in 3rd place with close to 15% of the overall vote while Mike Huckabee's position was not nearly as strong in this region compared to the heavily enriched Evangelical Central counties of the state (where Paul performed in single digit numbers).  Only five counties in this region had Paul getting numbers that were at or below the state Caucus average for him. 

There are plenty of those who believe that Ron Paul can finish 3rd in New Hampshire Tuesday, thus breathing new life into his grassroots campaign.  With Senator John McCain appearing to be the frontrunner in that state among Republicans and Mitt Romney within striking distance, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee are long shots in the "Live Free or Die State".  Fred Thompson, who came in 3rd by a few hundred votes in Iowa, is polling low in New Hampshire.

"Gambling911.com is forecasting Ron Paul to come in with around 14% of the New Hampshire vote," says Payton O'Brien, the website's political analyst.  "New Hampshire's numbers for Ron Paul should mirror those of Johnson County in Iowa."

Paul received around 15% in Johnson County, which is home to Iowa's biggest university and a large proportion of young people.  The median age there is 27. 

Throughout much of Eastern Iowa, Paul's Internet-based campaign was helped along by a more extensive broadband network in that region. 

His numbers were also brought down significantly as most of the rural Iowa counties with their heavy Evangelical presence voted upwards of 50% for Mike Huckabee.  New Hampshire is mostly devoid of such a concentration of Evangelicals though some suggest momentum has now gone in Huckabee's favor thanks to his big win.

The online poker player community is expected to come out in force for Ron Paul Tuesday at the New Hampshire primaries.  Ron Paul is pro-Internet gambling.

Get All the Latest New Hampshire Primaries News from Gambling911.com Here

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com

Originally published January 5, 2008 12:23 pm EST