… Despite its demolition at the hands of Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the Goldwater campaign is fondly remembered by many Republicans for re-setting the party’s ideological compass. For three decades prior, Republicans argue, the GOP embraced “me-tooism,” simply providing the electorate with a lite version of the Democratic Party. Many […] Read more »
Is GOP big enough for Chris Christie and Rand Paul?
… It’s orthodoxy (albeit it a newish orthodoxy) vs. electability. It’s the South (the GOP’s electoral base) vs. the Northeast (a shriveling piece of the Republican Party). It’s outsider vs. establishment. Put simply: There are Chris Christie Republicans, and there are Rand Paul Republicans. The twain almost never meet. … […] Read more »
Paul Ryan a Favorite of Republicans
Of five recent Republican newsmakers also mentioned as potential 2016 presidential candidates, Wisconsin Rep. and 2012 vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan is rated most positively by Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with a 69% favorable rating and +57 net favorable score. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is also relatively popular among the […] Read more »
Christie, Paul offer models for how GOP can compete in blue states
So much has been made of the demographic obstacles facing Republicans in their quest to win the White House that it has been easy to overlook the other huge hurdle in their path: geography. But two prospective GOP presidential candidates — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand […] Read more »
Ranking the 2016 Republicans in the NBC/WSJ poll
Since last December, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has been measuring the favorability-unfavorability numbers for the potential 2016 candidates. And here’s a fun little exercise First Read has undertaken: We’ve ranked the Republican possibilities by popularity — among GOP respondents in the poll, as well conservatives respondents. There are two […] Read more »
Clinton Slips in Poll After Benghazi Hits, Christie’s Up
Hillary Clinton hasn’t decided whether she’ll run for president in 2016, a status that doesn’t matter to the brewing class of potential Republican candidates already running against her. And, in the pre-campaign posturing, her prospective opponents are having some impact. Clinton’s political standing is declining after months of criticism for […] Read more »