2008 Republican Party presidential candidates
While it is rare for candidates for President of the United States to officially declare their candidacy prior to late in the year preceding the presidential election (in this case, 2007), some potential Republican candidates may have expressed their interest in running in the 2008 presidential election and are listed below. At this early stage, many of the strongest candidates might have yet to emerge, and these lists include few of the political figures who excite speculation amongst political activists, insiders, and media commentators.
Announced candidates
- John Cox, a Chicago CPA and investor announced in March, 2006, that he is pursuing 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 claims to have visited all 99 counties in Iowa, and according to a schedule posted on his Website [1], continues to make regular visits there. The schedule also indicates that he has made five campaign trips to New Hampshire since March, 2006, most recently in August, 2006, and has toured the early primary state of South Carolina at least three times since announcing his candidacy.
- Alan Bunch, born June 6, 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia. Insurance Agent for many insurance companies some of which is recognizable in the marketplace: Progressive, AIG, as well as State Farm. On September 11, 2006 . . . Bunch announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination. His policy announcements to date according to his website www.taxesbad.org include Fair Tax, Securing America’s borders and creating constitutional amendment creating a Sunset clause in every law. He is considered a very darkhorse candidacy as he has never held public office.
Potential candidates
George W. Bush will not be eligible for re-election in 2008, and Dick Cheney has stated that he is uninterested in seeking the nomination and will not run for President, which puts the burden on the Republican Party to select a candidate for the 2008 race.
Notwithstanding a change of decision by Cheney, this will be the first time that the incumbent party has put forth a candidate for President who is not currently President or Vice President since the U.S. presidential election of 1952. It will be the first time that the Republicans have faced this situation since the U.S. presidential election of 1928.
- George Allen, born March 8 1952 in California, 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.
- Sam Brownback, born September 12 1956 in Kansas, senior Senator from that state. 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. [2][3]
- Bill Frist, born February 22 1952 in Tennessee, U.S. Senator from that state and current Senate Majority Leader. Has been making trips to early battleground states. It is too soon to determine whether recent allegations of insider trading[4] will affect his possible candidacy. He recently took first place in a straw poll conducted at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in his homestate of Tennessee. While he had strong support from Tennessee delegates, he gained very little support from outside of his state. Frist has consistently placed in the single-digits in nation-wide polls, however, this figure may be misleading because his campaign is being held back by the fact that he holds the job of Senate Majority Leader. Frist plans to leave the Senate when his current term expires in January of 2007, leaving plenty of time to campaign.
- Newt Gingrich, born June 17 1943 in Pennsylvania, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and former U.S. Representative from Georgia. 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. 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. [5] The emergence of gay marriage as a political issue in the 2008 election cycle is likely to help Gingrich, as he has been a strong proponent of traditional family values. However, his multiple marriages and divorces may hurt him among those same voters.
- Rudy Giuliani, born May 28 1944 in New York, former mayor of New York City. Has stated on October 2 2005, that he will look at the possibility of running for President. He has led several state and nationwide polls for the Republican nomination and the general election, and has been mentioned by many media sources as a possible candidate since the 9/11 attacks and a speech to the 2004 Republican Convention. ([6], see polls below) Giuliani is, however, pro-choice and pro gay rights, which might hurt him in the primaries against a strong pro-life and anti-Gay marriage candidate, such as George Allen or John McCain. Recently, Robert Novak has confirmed a Giuliani candidacy, though Giuliani has still not announced publicly. [7]
- Chuck Hagel, born October 4 1946 in Nebraska, US Senator from that state. 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. There are a number of Draft Hagel blogs online [8] [9] [10] in addition to multiple groups [11] [12] [13]. However, despite being a fairly conservative Republican, he will face challenges from some elements of the party faithful due to his criticism of President Bush over the war in Iraq. It is widely thought that Senator Hagel will have trouble emerging from the shadow of John McCain, as they are both outspoken Vietnam veterans. The two friends differ on many issue positions, though, with Hagel being more traditionally conservative. He is the former CEO of the USO and Election Systems & Software, a leading manufacturer of electronic voting machines: electronic voting is likely to be one of the major issues in the 2008 race.
- Mike Huckabee, born August 24 1955 in Arkansas, Governor of that state. An Arkansas News Bureau Report [14] indicates that he has told close friends that he will seek the nomination. There is at least one Draft Huckabee site online [15]. In November of 2005, Time Magazine named him one of America's five best governors [16]. 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, see the Huckabee article.
- John McCain, born August 29 1936 in the US-controlled Panama Canal Zone, Senator from Arizona. Often characterized as a Republican maverick in the Senate, he is a well-known political figure in the United States. Despite his strong pro-life stance, his willingness to bipartisan compromise on judicial nominations and his strong support of campaign finance reform have drawn the ire of conservative groups, many of which have vowed to work against any McCain campaigns for the Republican nomination in 2008. In 2000 he failed in his attempt to deny George W. Bush the chance to ascend to the Presidency: McCain continued his ultimately unsuccessful campaign long after the other Republican candidates had united behind Bush. McCain was quoted by Men's Journal magazine as saying, "Presidential ambition is a disease that can only be cured by embalming fluid." [17]
- George Pataki, born June 24 1945 in New York, Governor of that state. Announcing that he will not seek a fourth term as Governor in 2006, and unlikely to defeat Hillary Clinton for her Senate seat, Pataki has held meetings with his advisors and has quietly indicated to Republican leaders that he's very interested in the Republican nomination.[18]
- Mitt Romney, born March 12 1947 in Michigan is the Governor of Massachusetts. Romney is not seeking a second term as Governor and has made several trips to swing states such as South Carolina, Michigan, and Pennsylvania during recent years. Romney has been pointing out his long held conservative views to appeal to conservatives for a future nomination. Romney's accomplishments as co-founder of Bain Capital, the CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and as Governor of Massachusetts give him strong bipartisan appeal. Romney's plan to ensure every citizen in Massachusetts with private, market based insurance has also earned him bipartisan praise. The Bay State has a reputation as a bastion of liberalism although Republicans have held the governorship ever since Bill Weld succeeded Michael Dukakis in 1990. But even so, being from Massachusetts should not be a problem for Romney in the GOP primary race whose charisma has garned bipartisan support regardless of his conservativism.
- Tom Tancredo, born December 20, 1945 in Colorado, U.S. Representative from that state and leading advocate for immigration reform. The Associated Press reported June 12, 2005 that he is considering running himself. Tancredo is considered to be a long shot by many observers but has a dedicated grassroots following among paleoconservatives. He has visited early presidential primary states such as new New Hampshire, Michigan and Iowa to begin building popular support and has polled favorably amongst grassroots Republicans. There are several sites and blogs in support of a Tancredo run.[19][20]
Other people mentioned as possible candidates
- Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida; his family connections and history indicate that he may be next in line to continue the Bush family legacy, although his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush has stated that he will not seek the 2008 Republican nomination, and many analysts state that he would be a natural frontrunner for the Vice President slot on the Republican ticket.
- Dick Cheney, Vice President of the United States; Cheney has said he is "uninterested" in running for President, and he has some significant health problems. However, he has been a very prominent figure in the Bush administration, and has served previously as Secretary of Defense, House Minority Whip, and White House Chief of Staff. Although he only infrequently appeared in public during the years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, ostensibly because he was working from a secure "undisclosed location," he has maintained a much higher public profile during his second term as Vice President.
- Elizabeth Dole, U.S. Senator from North Carolina, currently chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation under Ronald Reagan and U.S. Secretary of Labor under George H. W. Bush, wife of former Senator and 1996 Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole; ran for President in 2000, but dropped out of the race due to insufficient fundraising; won her Senate seat in 2002. Some consider her a top choice for Vice Presidential candidate in 2008, however.
- Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado is popular amongst grassroots Republicans and was proclaimed by National Review magazine in 2002 as the "best governor in the U.S." Throughout his governorship, he was frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the 2008 nomination and a possible cabinet appointee during the second term of George W. Bush. With the loss of Republican control of the Colorado State Senate during his tenure, speculation about a potential presidential bid has softened.
- Mike Pence, U.S. congressman from Indiana, chairman of the Republican Study Committee; mentioned in several articles [21] [22] [23] lately as a rising star in the Republican party and as a presidential contender [24] for 2008. There are already at least three websites up hoping to recruit Mike Pence into the 2008 race - [25], [26], and [27].
- Condoleezza Rice, currently the Secretary of State, said on Meet the Press and elsewhere that she doesn't intend to run for President, but can't rule it out, though there is a burgeoning "Draft Condi" movement. The group Americans For Rice [28] has already raised significant funds and appeared at major conservative political events (including cosponsoring the Conservative Political Action Conference). The group has aired television and radio advertisements in at least four swing states (including Iowa and New Hampshire) and Washington DC. Recently, political commentator Dick Morris presented the candidacy of Rice as a political neccessity to combat a likely candidacy by New York Senator Hillary Clinton in his book Condi vs. Hillary. In an August 8-10, 2005, 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 had a strong lead in most major public opinion polls [29].
- Mike Rounds, Governor of South Dakota, had one of the highest approval ratings for a governor in January 2006, a whopping 75%.[30] 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.[31] However, it led to Rounds' approval rating dropping 14%.[32]
- Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina; popular with fiscal conservatives, but has said he does not intend to run. Sanford professes to be a firm supporter of limited government, and many pundits have described his views as being libertarian in nature. There are several Internet-based groups trying to convince him to run for president in 2008.
- Rick Santorum, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania; he has said that he does not intend to run [33], but hasn't ruled out the possibility. A number of polls had mentioned him as a potential Republican candidate, although polls have also cast serious questions on whether he will hold onto his Senate seat in 2006, indicating higher numbers for his Democratic opponent, Pennsylvania treasurer Bob Casey, Jr..
References
- Morris, Dick and Eileen McGann (October 2005) Condi vs. Hillary: The next great presidential race. New York:Regan Books (HarperCollins) ISBN 0-06-083913-9