Plan to Restore the Vote: Ron Paul and the Third-Party Voting Dilemma

Texas Congressman and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has been a figure in American politics for more than 40 years. While Paul has commanded a dedicated support base composed of both liberals and conservatives, he remains well behind in the 2012 Republican primary race. This article examines the hypothetical case of a Ron Paul third-party presidential run, and the dilemma that voters face between voting conscientiously for Paul and voting strategically for the most electable and ideologically similar candidate.