December 2023 Republican Presidential Power Rankings
Welcome to the latest installment of The Duckpin Republican Presidential Power Rankings. These rankings will list, in my estimation, the contenders for the Republican nomination for President on a 1……9 scale. This list will be updated every month; maybe more once we get to later in the year.
The rankings are a combination of polls, data, political environment, and gut feelings. It is not necessarily a ranking in order of who I think should be the Republican nominee, but who is best positioned to win the nomination at that time. Think of it as a snapshot in time. Especially considering at least two candidates are still pussyfooting around with the idea of running.
#8: Ryan Binkley (TX): (Previous: 9)
Binkley is still going hard with an Iowa-centric strategy, with some flirtations in other states and other events. He just can’t break the seal and get on the debate stage. At this point, I’m not sure he can.
#7: Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (AK) (Previous: 8)
I really don’t get why he’s still running.
#6: Governor Doug Burgum (ND): (Previous: 5)
He’s still running, But he’s made it clear he is not dropping out.
#5: Vivek Ramaswamy (OH): (Previous: 6)
Look the bloom is off the rose here when Nikki Haley can say this about Vivek and everybody be like “yeah, that checks”.
#4: Former Gov. Chris Christie (NJ) (Previous: 2)
Christie’s camping is going to live or die in New Hampshire. He’s not the kinda candidate who wins Iowa.
#3: Former Governor Nikki Haley (SC): (Previous: 2)
She had another good debate that’s for sure. I’m not sure it’s going to help in the long run. Trumpworld is seeing a surge for her in the polls, but is it too early? Will it matter?
#2 Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL) (Previous: 4)
He’s not dead yet. The endorsement of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was followed up with an even more important endorsement by Iowa conservative activist Bob Vander Plaats. I cannot underestimate how important this is to salvaging DeSantis’s campaign. A Vander Plaats endorsement can practically win Iowa for DeSantis: Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Ted Cruz all rode that endorsement to an Iowa win. It may do the same for DeSantis which would put…
#1: Ex-President Donald Trump (FL) (Previous: 1)
….Trump’s inevitability into doubt. Facing 91 criminal charges and yet the rubes keep him at the top of the polls. But any crack in the Trump armor in Iowa could turn into a flood if people look around and realize that more than half the GOP wants somebody who is not Trump.
The weirdest thing from the past week was this?
Trump is now claiming the endorsement of people who want to ban him from public office. No, I am not making this up.
If you think this is going to play well in a Republican primary after Trump spent all of 2020 yelling “LAW AND ORDER!”……it’s not.
But hey, Trump loves the Groypers, the Groypers hate Israel, and so does BLM, so maybe it’s not as weird as a I think…..
Dropped Out: #5 Tim Scott