Mike Gravel was not invited to the Dem debate last night (pretty much the only one) because he hadn’t raised enough money, and thus wasn’t a viable candidate per the organizers’ view.

Don’t count him out. He has an angel in New Hampshire - Gregory Chase. Mr. Chase has has paid for full-page ads in New Hampshire newspapers in support of Gravel, and plans to run them until the primary. He’s sent brochures to local voters. printed Gravel ‘08 yard signs and bumper stickers.

“This is a guy with real ideas who’s got a communications problem. And I can help,”

Chase, a 27-year old hedge fund manager from Nashua, supports hiking the gas tax to encourage investment in alternative energy sources and found Gravel shared his views.

“All the candidates give lip service to what they thought would get them some votes,” Chase said. “Gravel was the only one with the guts and principle to say that we need to get real and get off oil.”

When he heard that Gravel was dq’ed from the debate because he had not raised $1M, Chase offered to purchase $1M in advertising from NBC or just pay them $1M directly. No go.

The Gravel campaign blesses him from a distance. Per campaign rules, it’s the only way they can.

In rebut, Gravel had a live web-cast from World Cafe Live in Philadelphia in which he answered many of the same debate questions as the “official participants.”