Perry, Huntsman bow out after disappointing results

One time frontrunner Rick Perry has withdrawn from the race to become the Republican party's presidential nominee. Joining him on the sidelines is Jon Huntsman who entered the race as something resembling the 'thinking man's' candidate with his libertarian leaning outlook. Perry fell off the horse that was going to take him to the finish line, Huntsman never really got into the saddle...

Romney wins New Hampshire, draws first primary blood

A la Vince Vaughn from the Wedding Crashers, it's primary season! With the Iowa caucus earlier this month acting as the curtain raiser to the primary season proper, New Hampshire is the first stop for the tour bus. Pressing the flesh and gaining delegates is the aim of the game here and the next couple of months will make or destroy the candidates. Some are on their last run... aren't they Ron?

"Scared Mittless"

The Huntsman campaign has released a web spot detailing how presumed front-runner Mitt Romney has been avoiding the press. The 90 second video also lists numerous newspaper headlines describing Mitt's penchant to brush aside questions from both the press and voters. Tip of the cap to Politico for the headline, "Mitt Romney's Mittness Protection Program." 

Romney with a sticker adorned supporter. Photo: alicegop (Flickr)

Is Mormonism a problem?

In the Republican presidential primaries there are two candidates of Mormon faith. Towards the front of the pack is former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and languishing at the back, according to most polls, is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. Religious brothers in arms! They also both contend that they have a better business record than the other. Oooohh! Claws…

A Mormon temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Credit to Tim Pearce, Los Gatos via Flickr on a CC license.

Mitch Daniels to Run for VP?

The Indiana Gov. declared during the early stages of the primary season that he would not be running for the GOP nomination. However, could he be putting his hand up as a possible running mate? What is it John Adams once said? The Vice-Presidency isn’t worth a warm bucket of what?

Cariacture by DonkeyHotey via Flickr on a CC license.

Huntsman Campaign Changes Captain

Struggling with low name recognition, and a perhaps too moderate social agenda, Jon Huntsman, Jr. has ditched his campaign manager Susie Wiles in a bid to change his fortunes. Replacing Ms. Wiles is the campaign’s communications director Matt David and such a move appears to be, for what has been a rather buoyant campaign to date, the first sign of trouble. For a West Wing analogy this is a bit like Matt Santos ditching Josh Lyman for Lou Thornton. Gotta to be a real geek to get this one people.

Profile: Jon Huntsman, Jr.

The former Governor of Utah entered the race to be the GOP nominee with relatively low name recognition but before his declaration, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, he had spent weeks crisscrossing the nation in a ‘get to know me’ campaign.

Photo by Clint Dunaway via Picasa

Huntsman Declares

President Barack Obama's former Ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman (Jr.), has declared his candidacy to be the Republican nomination for President. The former Governor of Utah, 51, stood in front of New York's Statue of Liberty and told the crowd: "We are a resourceful, ingenious, determined, problem-solving people. ... We choose our destiny." He added: "This is that moment. We’re not just choosing new leaders. We’re choosing whether we are to become yesterday’s story or tomorrow’s."

Photo by zennie62 via Flickr.

The Prospective GOP Field

Whilst Gary Johnson and Fred Karger remain the only 2 legitimate politicians to declare their candidacy for the Republican nomination the following are prospective nominees that we can expect decisions from in the coming weeks:

• Michele Bachmann - Minnesota Representative, prominent Tea Party member
• John Bolton - former UN aambassador, considered a neo-conservative
• Mitch Daniels - Governor of Indiana, more of a fiscal conservative
• Newt Gingrich - former Speaker, orchestrated 1994 Contract with America 
• Rudy Giuliani - Mayor of New York during 9/11, failed 2008 candidate
• Mike Huckabee - former Governor of Arkansas, social conservative
• Jon Huntsman, Jr. - former Governor of Utah. former ambassador to China
• Sarah Palin - running mate in 2008, social conservative, grassroots darling
• Ron Paul - iconic libertarian Republican, fiscal conservative, evergreen 
• Tim Pawlenty - former 1-term Governor of Minnesota, social conservative
• Buddy Roemer - former Governor of Louisiana, was a Democrat
• Mitt Romney - former Governor of Massachusetts, health-care reformer
• Rick Santorum - former Pennsylvania Senator, social conservative
• Donald Trump, Sr. - multi-millionaire businessman, quasi-celebrity, PR stunt?

This is not a comprehensive list of all the possible nominees but it is a list of all those who have any kind of legitimate shot at the nomination that have either expressed intention to run or are widely speculated to do so. (Bold type constitutes the widely regarded heavyweights within the party.) Santorum could be added to this list because much of his career has been prolific except for the fact that he suffered a humiliating and colossal defeat in his 2006 Senate campaign. Since then his career has somewhat stalled whilst Gingrich was one of the most high profile Speakers in American history because of his famous bust-ups with Bill Clinton but since his resignation in 1999 he has yet to recapture those previous heights.

Gingrich is expected to announce as early as the start of next week whilst Bachmann and Trump have said they will make their minds up by June. However, it is Mike Huckabee whose nomination will be followed most closely as he is no doubt a heavy-weight contender that has done everything expected of a nominee except promptly declare. Pawlenty and Romney are heavyweights that are certain to run whilst the smart money would be on Palin not to and wait 4 years.

The Republican field is slowly taking shape but at the moment what we are seeing is a really big game of chicken. Once a heavyweight candidate declares the rest will promptly follow suit but until then the prospective candidates jostle for pole position. Think of it in terms of the start of the Grand National at Aintree, although only the first 30 seconds of the video are relevant, it was a good race anyway.