Texas congressman Ron Paul was the biggest gainer in our Inside Facebook 2012 Election Tracker after the Republican presidential debate Thursday night — the last debate before the Iowa caucus on Jan. 3rd. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also saw a surge after the debate, passing Newt Gingrich in daily new Likes for the first time in nearly a month.

Paul came into the debate rising in the polls, and he expressed strong anti-war views that might have led to increased activity on his Facebook page. Paul gained nearly twice as many new fans as Romney after the debate, though Romney continues to hold the lead as the most popular Republican presidential candidate with more than 1.2 million Likes.

Newt Gingrich’s Facebook growth ebbed and flowed slightly over the past week, as his national poll numbers dropped. Rick Perry saw a spike in new fans last weekend after the debate in Des Moines, but did not maintain momentum with this latest debate.

Herman Cain, who suspended his campaign amid allegations of sexual harassment and an extra-marital affair, continues to see a daily decrease in fans.