2016 Presidential Power Rankings

By on January 31, 2013

CONSERVATIVES

RANK NAME TREND COMMENTS
1 Paul Ryan – Needs to show definitively that he was an asset alongside Romney in 2012 not a liability. Easier said than done considering the pounding the Romney-Ryan ticket took in his home state of Wisconsin.
2 Scott Walker – The first US governor to successfully defend his seat in a recall election, Walker is a proven campaigner whose fiscal focus will continue to make him an attractive option in 2016.
3 Chris Christie – His touchy-feely Sandy photo-ops with the Prez may have hurt his party standing in 2012, but his popularity among constituents the and a relatively weak conservative field will keep Christie securely in the top 5, whether he says he’s running or not.
4 Marco Rubio – One of few contenders with a prayer of recovering some conservative credibility in the latin community.
5 Jeb Bush – Skillfully distanced from both the Romney campaign and the reign of George W…don’t count “the other Bush” out just yet.
6 Bob McDonnell – A former Army Lieutenant Colonel with strongly core-conservative social views, expect McDonnell’s financial support base to grow if he’s successful at evolving Virgina’s energy posture without sacrificing public opinion.
7 Kelly Ayotte – Much still to prove, the junior New Hampshire senator is one of the few strong female conservative contenders.
8 Rand Paul – Wild card. Clearly not his father…though he demonstrates a similar ability to mesh an libertarian-independent slant with a conservative core…may prove useful with 2016 voters weary of the party status quo.
9 Rick Santorum – Though a disappointing finish, no doubt, Santorum’s strong 2012 showing earned him a bid to the 2016 conversation.
10 John Boehner – Love him or hate him, no conservative gets more camera time. However, chances of a Boehner run in 2016 will only improve if the congressional job approval rating does as well – significantly.

Dark Horse:

Colin Powell – Highly critical of the GOP of late, the man who served as Reagan’s National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs under Bush Sr., and Secretary of State under G.W. is still among the most respected conservatives on the planet. Why not? He’s expressed no interest, he’ll be 79, and his wife still won’t let him.

 

 

LIBERALS

RANK NAME TREND COMMENTS
1 Hillary Clinton – After a week of appearing on every news and talk show in America, Hillary will no longer be as Secretary of State as of Saturday. She says she will step back from the public eye for a while to possibly write a book. Don’t count on her retiring for long.
2 Joe Biden – He has appears to be stepping up his visibility in his second term as Vice President. He has the image of a combative campaigner, which he would certainly need to if he were to go up against Hillary.
3 Andrew Cuomo – Some liberals have criticized the centrist policies he has implemented as governor of New York. Recently though he has tacked towards the left on the issue of gun control. His recent State of the State address seemed to provide subtle hints that he has ambitions to run for the presidency in 2016.
4 Martin O’Malley – The Maryland governor delivered his State of the State address on Wednesday highlighting his accomplishments and setting out a fairly liberal agenda for the next year. It was a speech that resonated well with the political left, but one that struck a discord with many conservatives.
5 Mark Warner – Despite his A rating from the National Rifle Association, he came out after the Newtown shootings and called for a renewed discussion on firearms control. This could play an important role in his upcoming reelection in the swing-state of Virginia in 2014.
6 Evan Bayh – The Senator from Indiana recently said during an interview on Fox that if Hillary decides to run, that may clear the field of candidates, but if not, he believes Vice President Biden will definitely run. This seems to indicate that he will also wait to see what Hillary decides to do before throwing his hat in the ring.
7 Elizabeth Warren – The “rock star of the left” won an important victory in U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts. But, is three years in the Senate enough experience to seek nomination? President Obama has shown it is possible.
8 Rahm Emanuel – It’s hard to tell whether his comments about his next election being in 2016 (the chicago mayoral primary is in 2015) was a slip of the tongue or an honest mistake after an exhausting week.
9 Julian Castro – There is no doubt that his Hispanic heritage could help the Democrats win Texas in 2016, but his youth and lack of experience could be a problem.
10 Cory Booker – The Newark mayor has set his sights on becoming a Senator. A victory in 2014 would put him in the conversation for a possible run in 2016. It appears that Geraldo Rivera may run for Senate in New Jersey as well, which would make this a highly publicised race.

 

Dark Horse:

Tim Kaine – He’s a moderate Senator from a swing state. He’s friendship with Obama can only help if he were to run in 2016, but he does lack the name recognition of some other people on this list.

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  • Bartek

    You have Santorum and tou have not Pence or Martinez here? Wtf?

  • Tyra Bendick

    i will vote republican unless they have taken a stance against the constitution standup for our country and ill standup for you. according to gallup liberals are the smallest demographic 20% and falling in america conservatives 40% are the largest and growing also moderates 35% they have also been falling