(Image source: Christianity Today)

BY ERICA COGHILL

He was once considered a long shot, but Ron Paul is getting a second look in Iowa. WINK has more...

“Newt Gingrich has surged to the top of the polls, but now it appears he might have some unexpected competition in Iowa.  A Public Policy Poll shows Gingrich holds a slim 22 to 21 percent lead in the Hawkeye state over Ron Paul, that’s right, Ron Paul.”

So what does this mean? A commentator for CNN says Paul’s got a shot: his supporters are very loyal and they’re multiplying.

“Ron Paul supporters are not just devoted, they are growing. His message has largely been vindicated in the last four years since he first ran and his support isn’t going anywhere, so no one should count Ron Paul out of this, it could end up being a big surprise with huge implications across the race.”

But there’s a world outside of Iowa -- and a contributor for MSNBC says once you take a bigger picture look -- Paul’s chances don’t look as hot.

“It’s never happening, he’s a constant in the nationwide polls, you just don’t see the fluctuation of Ron Paul support either going up or going down, it’s very steady, but nationwide, it doesn’t get out of that 7 to eleven percent range.”

In a field of candidates whose conservative records have come under scrutiny with the base, The Wall Street Journal’s Kimberly Strassel says Paul’s popularity comes from voters’ dislike of the other so-called flip-flopping contenders.

“The Paul campaign knows that its greatest opportunity is attracting voters who are dissatisfied with the other front-runners' policy timidity or lack of consistency. Mr. Paul is neither timid nor inconsistent, and it ought to make him a star.”

While some may argue Paul’s sudden surge in the polls comes from the lack of love for the other candidates, a blogger for the New Yorker disagrees...

“Because it’s pretty nearly inconceivable that he could win the Presidency, the conventional wisdom is that a vote for Paul is a protest vote. But many of his supporters are not merely disaffected from the alternatives, but steadfast in their devotion to some or all of Paul’s wilder convictions … And the conspicuous (and, frankly, inexcusable) extent to which he’s been ignored by the national press has only confirmed the conviction of his supporters that he is speaking truth to power.”