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View Full Version : Romney tops Hotline’s inaugural list of GOP 2012 contenders




Agorism
11-09-2010, 11:41 PM
Romney tops Hotline’s inaugural list of GOP 2012 contenders...but Ron Paul at least gets Tea Party mention.

National Journal supposed rankings (http://www.nationaljournal.com/hotline/presidential-power-rankings-20101109)




The Tea Party Tier
13. RICK SANTORUM
Santorum has been quietly interviewing potential staffers and is beginning to pile the few eggs he has into the Iowa basket, hoping the stars align and voters are so divided between top-tier candidates that he can pull a Huckabee and carry the conservative vote. Sure, he's a long shot, but the only candidate who unabashedly entered the 2004 contest so early was Howard Dean, who went from obscurity to front-runner before falling flat.
14. JIM DEMINT
DeMint has been forward in claiming credit for conservative primary victories over establishment favorites, and he's no stranger to bashing his own party when it's not conservative enough for his taste, something that's popular with the base. But he's equally insistent that he won't be running in 2012, and he's made no moves that suggest he isn't being honest. If he runs, DeMint would be a force to be reckoned with – but he's ranked here for now because of the magnitude of that "if."
15. R. PAUL
In 2008, Ron Paul was little more than a sideshow. He generated big crowds and unparalleled excitement, but was unable to convert that grassroots energy into the votes needed to compete in key early states. Suddenly, Paul's message is a lot more popular – so much so that his son is an incoming senator from Kentucky. Who's the messenger for that message in 2012? Ron? Rand?


On the bubble: John Cornyn, Gary Johnson, Bob McDonnell, George Pataki, Marco Rubio


Santorum should be in his own category not the Tea Party one.