Ron Paul has generally drifted off the media’s radar for this election year. Yet he continues his quixotic campaign for the presidency. However, his campaign is less about being elected president than transforming the political landscape with his ideas. Many of his ideas are simply strange. His view of the Fed as a modern-day Mordor, and his passion for the gold standard as if it was the One Ring have brought an interesting twist to the last two presidential races.

Paul doesn’t expect to win, but he has created a movement that will probably nip at the heels of the two parties for years to come. Paul is nearly 80 so this is his last run for the presidency. His son, Rand, a senator from Kentucky, will likely take his movement over. It will be interesting to see the impact this will have on 2016. As FiveThirtyEight reveals, Paul has nearly doubled his support from four years ago. For a candidate more interested in his message than winning, that is notable.