With just three days to go before the first Republican Presidential candidates debate, Ron Paul met with several voters in Portsmouth Friday morning and touched on a myriad of issues hoping to generate some excitement.

Paul talked with voters at Popovers on the Square, Mainely-New Hampshire and Geno's Chowder and Sandwich Shop before heading off to a private business meeting with members of the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce.

Everywhere he went, Paul made it clear that he is not a status quo candidate.

When Ken Smith, co-owner of Mainely-New Hampshire, asked Paul how he could help small business owners who want to hire more workers, Paul said, "How about we freeze regulations" so retailers can retain more of the fees they pay banks for credit and debit card transactions as well as business taxes.

When Paul chatted with Deborah Smith, who is Ken Smith's wife and also a co-owner of the retail store that sells only locally-made merchandise, he joked, "I will have to keep your store a secret from my wife."

When some voters asked Paul how he would fix the U.S. economy, he said he would stop spending hundreds of billions of dollars in what he called "militarism" on the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the most recent U.S. action in Libya. More of that money needs to be spent on shoring up the infrastructure here at home, he said.

"We won't build you a bridge here, but we'll build one in Iraq because we blew it up," Paul said.

The Texas congressman, who made an unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2008, said he believes he will appeal to more voters in 2012 because more people are leaning toward the Libertarian philosophy of less centralized government.

"The mainstream is now the message of limited government and I think I am in the right place at the right time," Paul said.

Paul also dined on a lobster roll and ice tea at Geno's, which is a frequest stop for many political candidates.

When asked how Newt Gingrich's recent shakeup in campaign staff could help his campaign, Paul replied, "I don't think it will hurt us all."

Ultimately, Paul said the political market will whittle the Republican Presidential candidate field as voters get more interested in the campaign and decide who will have the best chance to win in 2012.