September Top Ten

The Next Prez lists the Top Ten Presidential candidates and their efforts. The blog is here: http://thenextprez.blogspot.com/

Democrats:
1. Hillary Clinton (steady) -- Getting even more press than usual as her husband's presidency comes under new scrutiny for how he prepared for the terrorism threat, but any Bush-Clinton comparisons also have their advantages for the New York Senator.
2. John Edwards (steady) -- Not really gaining ground on Clinton, but none of the newer contenders has yet made a significant move toward second place.
3. Russ Feingold (steady) -- Polling even with Clinton in his home state of Wisconsin, and above everyone not named Edwards, Kerry, or Gore in several other states.
4. John Kerry (steady) -- A veteran campaigner with a well-organized national reach, but may have limited upside unless Clinton decides not to run.
5. Bill Richardson (rising) -- Trails the top candidates in national media exposure, but most stories that do appear mention his strong presidential resume.
6. Mark Warner (steady) -- Made a big splash last November in Virginia, but needs to regain the national spotlight.
7. Evan Bayh (steady) -- Could battle Edwards for the anti-Hillary vote, and has the edge in gubernatorial experience to counter his lower name recognition.
8. Wesley Clark (steady) -- Has seen much of the anti-war vote shift slowly to Feingold over the past year, and hasn't been able to replace it yet with new supporters.
9. Joe Biden (steady) -- Outpolls several of the candidates above him in this list, but can't gain as much new name recognition as they can.
10. Tom Vilsack (steady) -- Despite the changes to the campaign calendar, Iowa still goes first.

Republicans
1. Rudy Giuliani (steady) -- Not serving in the Senate has its advantages for a candidate needing freedom to reframe his positions on the issues.
2. John McCain (steady) -- Compromise with President Bush on the treatment of military prisoners hasn't helped much with conservatives, and may hurt with libertarian-leaning Republican voters.
3. Mitt Romney (rising) -- Troubles for McCain and Allen, and past troubles for Frist, mean good news for Romney, establishing himself as the major conservative alternative to Giuliani.
4. Newt Gingrich (steady) -- Reestablishing himself on the national scene, but like Kerry, Gingrich hopes voters won't insist on new faces in 2008.
5. Mike Huckabee (steady) -- Slowly gaining supporters nationally, but still unknown to many voters.
6. Bill Frist (steady) -- Look for Frist to enter the campaign in force early in 2007.
7. George Pataki (steady) -- Laying the groundwork for his 2008 nomination bid as he serves out his term as governor of New York.
8. George Allen (falling) -- Once mentioned as the insiders' pick for the 2008 Republican nomination, Allen now faces a fight for job survival in his Senate race this November.
9. Tom Tancredo (rising) -- Not actively campaigning for the job anymore, but still seen as a leader for anti-illegal immigration Republicans.
10. Sam Brownback (rising) -- With Allen falling, some conservatives may turn to the Kansas senator.