Ron Paul buys TV ads in advance of pivotal poll
 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, who's sharp anti-war opposition has garnered a substantial online following, is folding a traditional-media approach into his long-shot bid for the White House.
The Texas Congressman has begun running television ads in Iowa before Republicans there travel to Ames this Saturday for a crucial straw poll. Current and former frontrunners Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are not participating in the poll, meaning Paul could receive higher-than expected support.
"We have a ways to go. We have to translate that tremendous support we have on the Internet into real votes," Paul said in an interview on MSNBC Tuesday. "And we may learn about that this Saturday whether we have been able to achieve that."
Republican Mitt Romney, the top-funded Republican participating in the poll, is focusing much of his energy on Ames, hoping a win there will help propel him to the nomination.
Paul's ad began running Tuesday in Des Moines and Sioux City, Iowa, The Associated Press reported. The ads also have been posted to YouTube.
A campaign spokesman would not tell AP how much the campaign is spending on the ad, which is the first of two for TV and will be accompanied by radio spots. Paul's campaign did not immediately respond to RAW STORY's request for comment.
Paul's campaign has purchased 500 tickets for Iowa residents planning to support him at the straw poll, which also serves as an Iowa Republican Party fundraiser.
Although the poll has no binding impact on voters' preferences when they gather for the Iowa Caucuses in January, it is seen as a test of a campaign's ability to organize and mobilize its supporters. Since the party began the poll in 1979, all but one winner has gone on to win the caucus.
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