On March 4, the nation will be focused squarely on two of the largest states holding presidential primaries: Texas and Ohio.

Then and there, the struggle between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton might - might - be settled at last.

Texas is also where a presidential contender will be fighting for his political life, not a long-shot bid for the White House.

Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas congressman, distinguished himself as the only GOP presidential candidate opposing the Iraq War.

He gained a devoted following, raising as much or more cash than mainstream rivals, including current front-runner Sen. John McCain.

Some supporters have urged Paul to mount a third-party candidacy as an independent, although he insists that he has no plans to.

But the anti-war, libertarian rhetoric that garnered Ron Paul strong national recognition in ‘08 could actually hurt him back home.

Paul, who ran for the White House as a libertarian in 1988 and finished a distant third, has not officially suspended his 2008 campaign, but he has significantly scaled it back to focus on a race at home.

That being for his House seat.

Ron Paul has been accused of not spending enough time in the 14th district, for missing votes, and for choosing an ideological high ground over doing the job of a congressman, which is enacting legislation.

Some analysts believe the presidential race has exposed some of his values and principles that are not in line with his district, and that exposure could harm his bid to retain his seat in Congress.

Continue reading this ABC News article here …

Texas Rep. Ron Paul said he will not run as a third-party candidate in a new message to his loyal, vocal group of supporters.

Paul wrote online that he is making cuts to his national campaign staff and is focused on not losing the primary for his House seat.

“If I were to lose the primary for my congressional seat, all our opponents would react with glee, and pretend it was a rejection of our ideas. I cannot and will not let that happen,” he wrote on his official campaign site.

With just 14 delegates for the Republican nomination that John McCain, with 719, is going to secure, Paul has never stood a chance of being elected, yet has attracted a sizable group of supporters.

“With [Mitt Romney] gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero,” Paul wrote. “But that does not affect my determination to fight on, in every caucus and primary remaining, and at the convention for our ideas, with just as many delegates as I can get.”

Ron Paul wrote that while he does not denigrate third parties, he is staying a Republican, as he supports low taxes and spending.

While remaining in the GOP, Ron Paul actually ran as the Libertarian Party’s candidate in 1988 against George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, finishing a distant third but earning 431,750 votes.

Some had speculated that due to his libertarian views, opposition to the Iraq war and potent support, Paul might attempt a similar bid this year.

As many liberals believe Ralph Nader’s third-party bid cost Al Gore the White House, a run by Paul would invariably hurt the Republican nominee.

Super Tuesday has come and gone.

The candidates pumped their fists in the air, argued over who won delegates where, vowed to carry on, and even quit the race.

But most importantly, the White House hopefuls brought searchers to the Internets! Here’s a look at their respective Yahoo! buzz …

Mike Huckabee: The former Arkansas governor took several Southern states in the voting bonanza, and boosted buzz on his campaign. Lookups for “huckabee for president” topped the list of queries for the one-time minister. Does that mean he’ll compete with John McCain suddenly? Doubtful.

Hillary Clinton: The New York senator could be the first female nominee for president, but searchers were more interested in her past. “Hillary Clinton high school pictures” surged 232 percent to become this week’s fastest growing search query for the former First Lady.

John McCain: Though the Republican stalwart emerged as Super Tuesday’s clear winner, web users couldn’t take their minds off… Cindy McCain! Search demand for “john mccain’s wife” jumped 230 percent.

John and Cindy McCain topped GOP primaries … and web searches!

Barack Obama: The Illinois upstart continues to attract supporters, but he can’t seem to quash rumors about his religion. Tuesday’s fastest moving Obama search was a question: “is obama muslim or christian.” Answer: Christian. He attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago.

Ron Paul: The biggest search spike for the Texas libertarian and Internet phenom suggests a need to talk. Demand for “Ron Paul forums” hurdled all other queries to top the roster of Ron Paul-related searches.

Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor, who just quit the race, saw a big jump in general searches for him this week. Specifically, a 150 percent bump for “mitt romney wikipedia.” Telling sign that after a year of campaigning, still no one knows who this guy is. Side note: if you want to read wikipedia’s article on him, why not just go to wikip… forget it.

Who’s hot? Who’s not? Who’s personal life just keeps getting more interesting, and who can’t buy media coverage to save their life? The 2008 election may be 18 months away, but the race is in on. We’ve assessed the Democratic candidates and now, for the first time, we’re moving on to the even more wide open GOP field…

1. Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor

The negative stories are beginning to flow, ladies and gentlemen, but his numbers stay high. Either the public simply doesn’t care about Rudy’s… shall we say, interesting personal life or they’re not paying attention.

One thing’s for sure: Every week Rudy Giuliani maintains a huge lead on John McCain makes it seem like a victory is a given and makes it tougher for anyone else to raise money against him. When’s he going to Iowa, though? Shouldn’t someone at his campaign HQ get on that?

2. John McCain, Arizona Senator

John McCain has a long way to go (though his NCAA picks weren’t as bad as we predicted). Something about his efforts so far seems forced, uninspiring. Of course, he’s still much more of an establishment candidate than the guy ahead of him, even if the GOP base is bored with him (the 2003 version of McCain would be a lock today). Still, he has a lot of things going for him, and a strong first debate effort against Giuliani could close the current gap considerably.

3. Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts Governor

The Mitt Romney campaign is somewhat of an enigma. Raising tons of money, scoring allies all over the place to back him, yet not gaining much in the way of traction among mainstream GOP voters. It all comes down to whether he can win New Hampshire and make it to February 5.

4. Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin Governor

The man’s strategy is a good one. Focus all efforts on Iowa and try to win that first caucus, becoming the popular, mid-American alternative to the three frontrunners. Hey, it’s good enough for fourth in our rankings - but can he raise enough cash to make it happen? That;s another story.

5. Fred Dalton Thompson, former Tennessee Senator

Not sure what it says about the rest of the folks in this race that Fred Thompson merely mulling a run has him comfortably in contention for the Republican nomination. There’s already a sizable movement to draft him (see below). We still think an all-Law & Order, Sam Waterston-Thompson ticket would be tough to beat.

6. Sam Brownback, Kansas Senator

Any talk about Fred Thompson or Newt Gingrich kills Sam Brownback. Not that we’re complaining. With this twit, less is more. And with another Thompson (Tommy) now going full-bore in Iowa as well, the Brownback campaign could come to a screeching halt really fast.

7. Duncan Hunter, California Congressman

An enormously popular U.S. Representative who has served California’s 52nd district with distinction for 26 years. That will be it, though. He just can’t get traction in this race.

8. Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas Governor

A decent guy having trouble getting noticed in a large field. Guess America isn’t ready for another Arkansas governor (from Hope, believe it or not) in the White House. Either that or America just doesn’t heart Huckabees. Too much? Okay, sorry. Moving on.

9. Jim Gilmore, former Virginia Governor

We’re guessing his days are numbered. A hunch.

10. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Congressman

No matter how much it riles up some Republicans, immigration alone isn’t enough of an issue to get you noticed in a national campaign.

11. Ron Paul, Texas Congressman

Two first names. Always the kiss of death. That and never having renounced one’s membership in the Libertarian Party.

UNRANKED: Newt Gingrich, Chuck Hagel (although a sudden entry into the race from either means a berth in our top five).