… In effect, what journalists and voters do when they encounter presidential contenders—asking questions, assessing the candidate’s reactions—is a form of stress-testing that candidates must endure and pass if they hope to win their party’s nomination and ultimately the White House. If a candidate can’t figure out the best way […] Read more »
In Early Polling, Walker Stands Apart
Can Scott Walker keep his balance? That’s quickly become one of the most consequential early questions as the 2016 Republican presidential race begins to take shape at gatherings like the closely-watched Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington on Thursday and Friday. Like other polls of early sentiment among Republican voters, […] Read more »
In Texas, Walker Ties Cruz; Clinton Soaring
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has erased U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s strong lead among Texas Republicans in the volatile and still-developing race for the party’s 2016 presidential nomination, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. CONT. Texas Tribune Read more »
Party rules are made to be broken
Will Scott Walker succeed in building up an independent political base and circumventing the invisible primary? Probably not. Will he try to do that anyway? I don’t know, but there are several reasons why it’s plausible to think this might look like a good strategy for a candidate in Walker’s […] Read more »
Walker’s sudden jump to top-tier contender means exposure comes with an exaggerated impact
The rapid rise of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as a top-tier contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 is one of the more surprising stories of the opening months of this year. Whether he was prepared for this sudden emergence is an open question. CONT. Dan Balz, Washington Post Read more »
It’s 2015, not 2016: The presidential races won’t be decided today
Sometime in the future, people will look back on these early weeks of 2015 and decide what, if anything, was important in the making of the president in 2016. At this point, it’s all normal people can do to keep their bearings. … People seize on early polls at the […] Read more »