John Cox, a Chicago CPA and investor announced that he will pursue the Republican nomination for President in 2008. He ran unsuccessfully in Republican primaries in Illinois, for the House in 2000 and for the Senate in 2002. So far, Cox has claimed to have visited 99 counties in Iowa.
WTF? A twice failed office seeker, with no political experience? Obviously, this guy's a non starter
Fred Phelps of Kansas is also reported to have announced on his radio show that he intends to seek the nomination.
While I'm pretty sure he actually won't end up running and he clearly has no chance in Hell, if he did run, I'm of two minds about the effects. On the one hand, he will make any other candidate in the primary look like a paradigm of moderation. I mean, Rick Santorum looks like a bleeding heart liberal next to this guy. However, because the Republican primary is going to be decided by the more extreme factions of the GOP, Phelps could end up dragging everyone else to the right, leaving the primary's winner in the uncomfortable position of having to work twice as hard to convince the American people he (or she) is not a right-wing nut job. And even having Phelps in the primary, representing GOP is going to make them look extreme. Bottom line, I think Phelps in the race would be a blessing.
George Allen, current Senator and former Governor of Virginia. As of May 2nd, 2005, a survey of 75 Washington insiders conducted by National Journal's The Hotline reveals that he is considered by some to be a current front-runner for the GOP party nomination. On February 11, 2006, Senator Allen was the top choice of conservatives at the annual CPAC convention in Washington D.C. receiving 22% of the votes. Senator McCain received 20%, followed by Giuliani at 12%, and Condi Rice at 10%. Newt Gingrich received 5% of the votes.
Yes, but if he doesn't win reelection by a handy amount, he's not going to be able to recover. And that's assuming he wins reelection.
Sam Brownback, senior Senator from Kansas. In April 2005, the Associated Press reported that Brownback, who is little known outside his home state, "is using a network of social conservatives and Christian activists to raise his profile" in such battleground states as Iowa and New Hampshire. In December of 2005, Senator Brownback joined with Senator McCain in endorsing Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell for Governor of Ohio. This move was perceived as an attempt by Senator Brownback to court favor with conservative Republican voters in Ohio
On the one hand, he's been courting the Christian Right pretty hard, but in the Senate he's made not so little acts of moderation, such as workings with Democrats to soften the immigration bill. It's a very strange game he's playing, as long as he doesn't pull a McCain and piss of the base, it may just pay off.
Bill Frist is caught between his support of the Bush administration as Senate Majority Leader, and his personal financial scandals. Between that, and not coming through for his social conservative base on any of their issues, and he's dead in the water before he even has both feet in.
Still, he has enough fight left in him, that I've got him up here, rather then down the diary with the people who don't have a prayer.
Newt Gingrich. According to the Associated Press, "The former House speaker who led Republicans to power a decade ago said he soon will visit Iowa and New Hampshire to promote his book, try to influence public policy and keep his political options alive." The AP reported him as saying "Anything seems possible," including a White House race. In 2005, Gingrich was good-naturedly prompted by The Daily Show host Jon Stewart to announce his ambition for the presidency, to which Gingrich responded "...the last guy to announce on your show (Edwards) came in fourth." Gingrich first explicitly suggested he may run in 2008 on October 13, 2005, saying "There are circumstances where I will run", elaborating that such circumstances would be if no other candidate champions the major platform ideas that Gingrich advocates.
Never but never count this guy out. If he throws in, he's a major contender for the nomination, and he wins it, he'll be formidable in the general. A decade between you and your last term in public office can make people forget about things like censure and government shutdowns.
Chuck Hagel, US Senator from Nabraska. In August 2004, Hagel acknowledged that he is considering a presidential campaign in 2008. He spoke to the Iowa delegation at the 2004 Republican National Convention. However, being a fairly moderate and sometimes liberal Republican, he will face challenges from more conservative elements, particularly on his Iraq war positions.
However, Hagel has solid social conservative creds, and he's wisely distanced himself from the administration on many fronts. He has an even shot in the primary, and if he makes it to the general he robs us of some of our strongest issues: namely the war, and support for the failed Bush administration polices. And if we run Hillary, we'll be on the wrong side of them.
Mike Huckabee, Governor of that state Arkansas. An Arkansas News Bureau Report indicates that he has told close friends that he will seek the nomination. There is at least one Draft Huckabee site online. In November of 2005, Time Magazine named him one of America's five best governors. He is currently chairman of the National Governors Association, considered a stepping-stone for politicians with aspirations for higher office. There are several similarities between Huckabee and former President Bill Clinton.
I'm with Kos on this one. This is a guy to watch very closely.
Dr. Condoleezza Rice, currently the Secretary of State, said on Meet the Press and elsewhere that she doesn't intend to run for President, though there is a burgeoning "draft Condi" movement. The group Americans For Dr. Rice has already raised a great deal of funds, has been at many major conservative political events (including cosponsoring CPAC, the largest of such events in the nation), and has aired television and radio advertisements in at least four states (including Iowa and New Hampshire) and Washington DC. In an August 8-10 Republican primary poll in Iowa, Rice came in first with 30 percent, dwarfing John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani, who each got about 15 percent. As of early 2006, Rice has led in most major public opinion polls
The question used to be "Would the Republicans nominate a black women?" I think at this point the bigger question is would the republicans nominate someone who embodies the worst of the previous administration? The good news is, despite everything that could make her dangerous, her well-documented track record of incompetence and her close ties to an unpopular presidency sink her. It's ironic that she's such a flawed candidate in this regard too, because as a female candidate she basically explodes all the stereotypes and preconceptions that normally haunt female candidates. However, being female won't be nearly enough to get around her baggage, which primary candidates with out close ties to the Bush administration will eagerly exploit to sink her.
And now, people who have no chance
John McCain has always had trouble with the Republican base, and simply isn't trusted by them. At this point, I'm not sure how much he's trusted by the rest of the country. Ten bucks says he drops out after New Hampshire.
Mitt Romney thinks he can be President. Isn't that cute.
Rudy Giuliani is pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and anti-gun. Three things you can not be at the same time as being the Republican nominee for President.
Also...
Nuff' said.
Tom Tancredo is a one trick pony. Plus, he's in the House, and how many Presidents have we gotten from the House in the last 200 years? I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure you can count it on one hand.
Jeb Bush doesn't have a shot in hell. Anyone who says he does has either been asleep for the last year and a half, or is sniffing something.
Rick Santorum still thinks he can be the next president from the state of Virginia... I mean Pennsylvania. Of course at this point, it's unlikely he'll even be a senator in 2008, much less in a position to run for higher office.
Mike Rounds, Governor of South Dakota, had one of the highest approval ratings for a governor in January 2006. On March 6, 2006, Rounds signed into law a bill banning nearly all abortions in South Dakota. This is expected to spark a legal challenge, and some supporters see it as a first step to the Supreme Court overturning its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.However, it led to Rounds' approval rating dropping 14%.
I can only hope Rounds is the nominee. If he's the nominee, we win in a landslide. And if, God forbid, Roe v. Wade was overturned as a result of the law he signed, Rounds becomes the man who outlawed abortion. If that happens, we win in a landslide, and female voter turnout jumps into the low 80's.
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