Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul aren't counting on their revolution being televised. Instead, one group of avid supporters is taking their revolution 1,100 feet off the ground.

The supporters started an Internet campaign to raise $400,000 to pay for a 197-foot blimp with the words "Ron Paul Revolution" on the side. The blimp flies around key publicity areas in the South.

"We were hoping to make it to New Hampshire, but blimps don't do too well in the cold," said Elijah Lynn, a coordinator for the Ron Paul blimp, one of the largest in the world.

The blimp, which docked at Myrtle Beach International Airport on Wednesday, also flew over the convention center during the debate. Lynn said the group put in a few extra dollars to hire a traveling searchlight so the blimp could be seen as it gets dark.

(Article continues below)

"The blimp alone costs about $10,000 a day, but candidates spend a million dollars on TV advertising and mailers that don't work," said Bryce Henderson, spokesman for the blimp supporters. "We just hope people will look into our candidate."

One of the messages on the blimp tells people to, "Google Ron Paul" and the airship has its own separate Web site and blog at www.ronpaulblimp.com.

While Ron Paul doesn't have the war chest of Mitt Romney or the television exposure of Fred Thompson, he does have loyal supporters who will go to great lengths to get him noticed.

Many have quit their jobs, put their lives on hold and started campaigning unofficially for Paul.

Lynn, 26, was a locksmith in Littleton, Colo., before a posting on meetup.com mentioned the blimp.

"I knew it was the kind of idea that would spread," he said.

The blimp, which started in Elizabeth, N.C., was paid for entirely by supporter donations taken via the Internet. Henderson said the average donation was about $75.

"There have been some higher profile acts" while campaigning for Paul, Henderson said. "One guy rode his bike across the country; another guy bought a full-page ad in USA Today. What's more amazing is the grass-roots nature of all of this support."

University of North Carolina sophomore Paige Michael-Shetley spent much of his winter break organizing other student volunteers to come to South Carolina to campaign for Paul.

"We have about 270 kids coming in to knock on doors, canvas and stuff envelopes. They're all more than willing to spend their breaks here and in Iowa or New Hampshire," he said.

The students will be canvassing through Sunday in all parts of the state.

"The great part about everyone I meet is that they are real people who just want others to hear Ron Paul's message," Michael-Shetley said.