United Liberty

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted the GOP Presidential Power Rankings. Honestly, I needed a break from the race. But with the first votes being cast on January 3rd in Iowa, we need to crank it up again.

The News

• We are now less than a year away from the 2012 Presidential Election; 364 days to be exact (November 6, 2012).
• The latest numbers from Gallup show Obama and Romney tied. However, he leads Perry and Cain both nationally and in “swing states.”
• A generic Republican beats Obama on key issues in swing states.
• Jim Pethokoukis notes a recent election forcast model showing that the odds of Obama being re-elected are declining.
• Whoever wins the GOP primary will, along with Obama, face a skeptical electorate.
• Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) will not endorse in the GOP primary.

The Rankings

Mitt Romney (): It looks like Mitt Romney is gaining the support of prominent Republicans more concerned about beating Barack Obama than making a statement with another candidate. He’s also winning praise from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) on dealing witht the deficit and entitlements. The bad news for Romney is that he still lags polling in Iowa and South Carolina, both important early states.

Herman Cain (): It was a bad week for Cain. It wasn’t so much the accusations that hurt him last week, rather the reaction to them. And add to that another foreign policy gaffe, though it didn’t receive a lot attention due to obvious reasons. Cain still leads in Iowa, but he has only visited once in the last month and didn’t bother attending a state GOP function over the weekend. Cain also did poorly in a “debate” against Gingrich in Texas, which again has many questioning if he is ready for the national stage.

Newt Gingrich (): Gingrich has been creeping slowly in the polls. He’s now third overall in national surveys and is currently fourth in Iowa. Gingrich was declared a winner with his speech at the Iowa GOP event over the weekend, the same one Cain skipped. With Cain beginning to come down from his polling high, Gingrich stands to benefit and may be the catch voters at just the right moment.

Ron Paul (): Has anyone else noticed how quiet the Paul campaign has been lately? His national poll numbers have dropped in the last month and he has been surpassed by Gingrich.

Rick Perry (): Perry is struggling to stay relevant in the race. His poll numbers have dropped significantly. And there was speculation that he was drunk during a recent speech in New Hampshire, prompting this headline from CNN, “Perry: I wasn’t drunk or on drugs.” Not exactly the lede that a candidate wants.

Michele Bachmann (): In case there was any question, Bachmann’s campaign is over. She’s currently polling fourth in Iowa and the word is she’s nearly out of money. How much longer will Bachmann stay in the race?

Jon Huntsman (): Huntsman’s daughters have put out some humorous videos in support of their father’s nomination, but Huntsman is still in the cellar in polling.

Rick Santorum (): Santorum has camped out in Iowa where he hopes to appeal to social conservatives. It doesn’t look like their responding as his poll numbers in the state top out at 5%.

Gary Johnson (even): Unfortunately, Johnson wil be left out of another debate when candidates meet in Michigan later this week. His polling is non-existant, largely because firms aren’t including him in their surveys.