Paul’s base of young voters and hard-core libertarians leads some handicappers to pigeonhole him and dismiss his chances — and with some historic justification. In the 2008 New Hampshire primary, he drew less than 8 percent of the vote. But things could be significantly different this time as Paul reaches out into new corners of the electorate.

His next stop after Keene was a house party in the affluent town of Windham on the border with Massachusetts. This was no humble living-room affair. The host hired bartenders to staff not one but two built-in bars. The appetizer table offered rabbit pate.

Four years ago, Steve Airocci, who teaches social studies, voted for Obama and had no interest in Paul. Now, he’s interested. He says he senses the established order has driven the country down to rock bottom.

“There’s nowhere else to go,” he said. “We have to do something drastic. We have to make some significant changes in government and primarily on the financial side.”