Bill Sikes / AP

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and his wife Carol, left, respond to supporters during an election night really in Manchester, N.H. on Jan. 10, 2012.

Slideshow: Ron Paul

Orlin Wagner / AP

A physician and twelve-term congressman from Texas, the libertarian maverick has launched his third campaign for the office of president.

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Msnbc.com’s Michael O’Brien reports Ron Paul has leaned on a brew of disenchanted independents, libertarians and young voters to fuel his campaign. But that formula led Paul to a somewhat disappointing third place finish in the Iowa caucuses.

The Texas congressman’s New Hampshire rallies have drawn enthusiastic crowds numbering in the hundreds. But a significant proportion of those voters have come from out of state, and Paul himself has only spent a few days actively campaigning in New Hampshire, spurring doubts over whether he’ll have left undecided votes on the table.

"I don’t know if we took a couple days off as much as we just stuck to our plan," he explained last Friday in Nashua. "We had a plan …We’ve been up here many, many times."

See more pictures from the N.H. primary.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

A young supporter of Republican presidential candidate U.S. Congressman Ron Paul celebrates at Paul's New Hampshire primary night rally.

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Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney addresses supporters in Manchester on Jan. 10, 2012 after seizing a second victory in his fight to be the party's presidential nominee, winning New Hampshire's key primary.

Slideshow: Mitt Romney's life in politics

Jonathan Ernst / Getty Images

From governor's son to presidential contender, a look at the life of Republican Mitt Romney.

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Msnbc.com’s Michael O’Brien reports that NBC News projects that Romney will win the New Hampshire primary, while Texas Rep. Ron Paul will finish second, ahead of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who will finish third. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich trail.

 "The president has run out of ideas; now he's running out of excuses," Romney told cheering supporters. "And tonight, we're asking the good people of South Carolina to join the citizens of New Hampshire to make 2012 the year that he runs out of time."

See more pictures from the N. H. primary.

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Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

New Hampshire residents vote in the Republican presidential primary just before dawn in the basement of the Immaculate Conception Church in Penacook, N.H., Jan.10, 2012.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

A New Hampshire resident casts her vote in the Republican presidential primary at the 150-year-old Town Hall in Bristol, N.H., Jan. 10 2012.

More from NBC politics

• Early voters put Romney on top
• Romney's rocky last 48 hours
• Rising Huntsman delivers closing arguments
• Gingrich cancels event at campaign headquaters

Herb Swanson / EPA

Jacques Couture, 62, is the first voter to cast his ballot in the New Hampshire Primary, after the stroke of midnight in the northern town of Dixville Notch on Jan. 10 2012. New Hampshire holds the first in the nation primary and Dixville Notch is the first town in the state to cast and tally votes. .

Herb Swanson / EPA

Three of the nine voters casting their ballots in Dixville Notch.

Matt Rourke / AP

Residents wait for the stoke of midnight to cast their votes.

Matt Rourke / AP

From left, Tom Tillotson, Rick Erwin, and Donna Kaye Erwin count the ballots.

Msnbc.com's Tom Curry reports:

It was not a random sample and it will have no predictive value, but a quaint New Hampshire tradition – dating back to 1960 -- was preserved Tuesday just after midnight when voters in two tiny mountain towns, Dixville Notch and Hart’s Location, were the first ones to cast their ballots in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary.

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Mike Segar / Reuters

Members of the media crowd around Republican presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum as he makes a campaign stop at Mary Ann's Diner in Derry, N.H. on Jan. 9, 2012.

I’m of two minds when it comes to political coverage. The hardcore journalist side of me believes, “Covering politics and elected officials is the most important thing we do. Democracy doesn’t function without informed citizens, and it is our job to find and report the news.” The other side of me, the side that is sick to death of attack ads, debate bickering and political spin, sometimes wonders if we’ve run our money-laden political machine into the ditch. I watch members of my profession fall all over themselves to cover the candidate horse race, sometimes at the expense of covering real people who have real problems, and that deeply concerns me.

I’ve often thought that the media industry receives special protection under the First Amendment and is therefore obligated to provide a certain amount of free political coverage for the citizens of the United States. I would extend that logic to say that the media should not accept money for political advertising. If we did those two things then the need for political money would sort of go away, and the campaign season might even become a shorter, more civilized debate between candidates with different opinions.

Bill of Rights - Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Common Cause reports on its website that the problem with money in politics is not so much the amount that is spent on campaigns as it is who pays for them, what they get in return, and how that affects public policy and spending priorities.

Big money has long dominated our elections, and the problem only got worse in 2010 after the Citizens United ruling, in which the Supreme Court turned its back on more than 100 years of law to pave the way for billionaires to spend unlimited amounts of money on direct campaigns to elect or defeat federal candidates, adding to the enormous influence they already have within the political process.

Relate PhotoBlog posts:

• All signs point to a primary in New Hampshire
• GOP rivals try to land punches during NBC/Facebook debate in NH
• Presidential longshots promise clipper ships and ponies
• Leaving Iowa to face voters in New Hampshire

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Dave Kopacz, a Ron Paul supporter, rides his horse down Elm street in downtown Manchester on Saturday afternoon.

John Makely/ msnbc.com

Daniel Burns, Carlo Santelli, Dennis Fisher, Crystal Green and Briana Thomas yell their support to their fellow Ron Paul supporters accross the street in downtown Manchester on Saturday afternoon.

John Makely/ msnbc.com

An Occupy protester attaches an announcement to their elephant-shaped notice board in Veteran's Memorial Park on Saturday, Jan. 7 in downtown Manchester a few hours before the Republican presidential candidates debate.

John Makely/ msnbc.com

A group of students leaves the Newt Gingrich's campaign headquarters in downtown Manchester, N.H. on Saturday Jan. 7 after taking a brief tour.

All kinds of activity in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire and we're still days away from the primary election on Tuesday.

Related Links:
NBC/Marist Poll: Romney has 20-point lead in N.H.; Santorum gets Iowa bounce

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Photos by Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Presidential candidate Ron Paul shakes hands with supporters after a rally in Nashua, N.H. on Jan. 6, 2012.

Slideshow: Ron Paul

Orlin Wagner / AP

A physician and twelve-term congressman from Texas, the libertarian maverick has launched his third campaign for the office of president.

Launch slideshow

The Associated Press reports that Republican Ron Paul had his son verbally attack Rick Santorum, advancing a trend of using candidate family members as presidential campaign surrogates.

Rand Paul was the surprise guest at his father's kickoff event in New Hampshire Friday. The Kentucky senator complained about excess spending by both parties in Washington and noted that "a guy who did pretty well in Iowa" with the initials "RS" had voted to support the Department of Education and foreign aid while in the Senate.

Meanwhile, KRNV and MyNews4.com are reporting that Ron Paul has picked up the backing of the famous Bunny Ranch in Nevada.

“He knows what women's wants and women's needs are. And when it comes to a man that's going to be in the office, you want a man that knows his way around a woman,” Worker Ara Rose said.

The brothel is doing more than just endorsing; they're also fundraising for the Paul campaign by asking patrons for donations on their way out.

People listen to Ron Paul during the rally in Nashua.

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