Ryan Streeter
Who among the GOP’s 2012 has what it takes to win?
We asked 50 people on our ConservativeHome100 panel, a group of conservative insiders and influencers, how they would rate likely 2012 presidential contenders according to eight attributes. We included a few potential candidates who have said they are not running - just for comparison's sake.
Chris Christie and Jeb Bush came out on top, followed closely by Mitch Daniels.
A majority of respondents say Christie and Bush possess six of the eight attributes, and Daniels five. Of course, neither of the top two placeholders are running for President, and we have yet to receive a clear signal from Daniels on his intentions.
The eight attributes are:
- Being a reformer
- Appeal to primary voters
- Appeal to independent voters
- Authentic, a straight shooter
- A good speaker, able to command a crowd
- Strong on policy
- Good fundraiser
- Possessing gravitas
In the table below, a checkmark signifies that a majority of respondents selected the attribute for the respective individual.
A few observations merit a mention:
- Only two people were "awarded" gravitas as an attribute by a majority of respondents: Jeb Bush and Mitch Daniels.
- Romney tanked.
- Huckabee and Palin, who still rank high in weekly opinion polls, don't do so well when judged by these eight attributes, which raises the question: which attributes do they possess that aren't on the list?
What the table above doesn't allow you to see is who received the greatest number of votes in each category. Here are the winners:
- Reformer: Chris Christie
- Appeal to primary voters: Chris Christie and Sarah Palin (tie)
- Appeal to independents: Chris Christie
- Authenticity: Chris Christie
- Good speaker, able to command a crowd: Chris Christie
- Strong on policy: John Bolton (Mitch Daniels a close second, difference of one vote)
- Good fundraiser: Haley Barbour (Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney a tied close second, difference of one vote)
- Gravitas: Mitch Daniels
The ConservativeHome100 panel includes notables such as Arthur Brooks, David Frum, John Podhoretz, John O'Sullivan, Reihan Salam, and Karl Rove. Some members have asked to remain anonymous.
Why not expand this poll and let more than 50 people take it.... I bet the outcome would be different.
Posted by: Capt Elaine | March 07, 2011 at 12:44 PM