Saying Goodbye for Now....

Well my schedule has made me ignore posting now for awhile, and I am not giving this site the attention it deserves so I will hang it up until further notice, but someday soon I hope to be back! After thousands of hits, hundreds of posts and so many honors Politics-Central will officially end until further notice!

Thanks to you the readers! This site never would have been what was without you!

Decision 2008: General Election Power Rankings #1

Well we finally have the first edition of the General Election Power Rankings. We haven't ranked since Super Tuesday with only 3 candidates remaining, however we are prepared to analyse the General Election, but with the Democratic Stalamte, I will include both candidates against John McCain.

General Election Match-Up
1st: Republican: John McCain (rising) McCain's general election numbers have nowhere to go but up. His resources may be dried up, but with the Democrats battling for the nomination heating up, McCain has had the spotlight and the time to pick a running mate, and re-unite his party. McCain has done so, and has steamed ahead. National Polls may show McCain tied against Obama but in the battleground states, McCain leads in PA, FL, Ohio, MI, WI, NJ, and I even saw a poll that had the Democratic state of Massachusetts. McCain certainly has the advantage now.

2nd: Democratic: Barack Obama (falling) Obama may be rising in primary polls, but this bitter fight with Clinton has allowed him to fall 5 points nationally and is now tied with McCain nationally. Obama is behind in key states such as Fl, OH, and PA, and usual Democratic Safe zones such as NJ, MA, CT, and Michigan show the race close. Obama is strong in the west holding on to leads in California, and he holds slim leads in WA, OR, NV, NM, and CO. If Obama can swing these western states, win either Ohio and Florida and hold onto key democratic states he will be our next president.

3rd: Democratic: Hillary Clinton (falling) Clinton fairs better in key battleground states against McCain and I feel she is more electable than Obama. She leads McCain in Ohio, and PA, and holds onto the Democratic Northeast. She trails in the west, and maybe she will need to hit California with new polls suggesting McCain gaining on her there, but with wins in OH and PA she could win the White House. The Midwest leans McCain in MI, WI, and MN and both Democrats need to work on that.

Here are our Battleground States as of April 5th. Obama vs. McCain
Safe GOP 157
ID 4
UT 5
MT 3
AZ 10
TX 34
OK 7
KS 6
SD 3
ND 3
LA 9
MS 6
AL 9
GA 15
TN 11
NC 15
IN 11
AK 3

Leans GOP 83
NE 5
MO 11
AR 6
VA 13
WV 5
KY 8
FL 27
SC 8

Overall GOP: 240 Electoral Votes

Safe DEM 75
IL 22
NY 31
MD 10
DE 3
RI 4
VT 3
DC 3

Leans DEM 93
HI 4
ME 4
MA 12
CA 55
CT 7
WA 11

Overall DEM 168 Electoral Votes

Tossups 130
WA 11
OR 7
NV 5
CO 9
NM 5
IA 7
MN 10
WI 10
MI 17
OH 20
PA 21
NJ 15
NH 4

Decision 2008: Can Hillary hold on?

There have been several calls for Former Dem. Nominee to be, Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race, because many see her having no chance of winning and if she does she will tear the party apart at the convention. Senator Clinton must win Pennsylvania and do it abouve expectations, and with Sen. Barack Obama closing the gap in the state, the pressure will be on for her to drop out, should she narrowly win the state. If she loses she will be forced out of the race. Hillary if hoping for a win in PA, and win in Indiana, Kentucky, W. Virginia, Oregon and North Carolin. If she does Barack will be in trouble with the momentum clearly in her corner. All Obama has to do is win North Carolina, and make it close in PA, and the nomination is his for the taking. He will win the western caucuses of South Dakota, and Montana in a walk, and he should be up by 1000 delegates after the primaries. Then the Superdelegates will be pressured to make a decision and the party wants them to choose the African American, over the women, because of his lead in overal popular votes. Clinton needs a win in PA, and Michigan and Florida to be seated at the convention. I bet Clinton win PA, and stays in till the convention

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember what he did for us......

Gone until April!

My Schedule has forced me to delay posting until April. Seeing as the political news is limited recently, besides the denial of the Michigan and Florida Re-votes Ill post again in April before PA, and give up to the minute details of the Democratic Battle.

Decision 2008: Obama vs. Clinton, VP Romney? Spitzer resigns

Sorry for the delayed posting, but here is another 2008 update: U.S.

Democrats: Senator Hillary Clinton moves on from two more losses in Wyoming and Mississippi, after her wins in TX and OH. Clinton trails Sen. Barack Obama now by 131 delegates. The campaign now moves to Pennsylvania, the last delegate rich contest in this season. Clinton needs a win there to drive this race into the summer, and possibly into convention where her campaign feels she can win in. Early polls have Clinton leading Obama by double digits in PA, but as we have seen in past races Obama can surely comeback. The race afterwards will go into North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, and Oregon and possibly do-over primaries and caucuses in Florida and Michigan.

Republicans: Whispers our now afoot that Mitt Romney is being considered as Presumptive Nominee John McCain's running mate as he has stated he is interested. McCain states he is a possibility but it is too early too tell. As we all know the two were bitter rivals in the primary race.

Spitzer: New York Governor Eliot Spitzer in the wake of his prositute sex scandal, is set to resign Monday, with Lt. Governor David Paterson, to succeed him as Governor. Spitzer was a prominent rising star in the party with a huge electoral victory in Nov. of 2006. Spitzer will step down after only holding the office of Governor for 1 1/2 years. Spitzer was known prior to the scandal as "Mr. Clean" for his years as Attorney General and busting corruption on Wall Street.

Decision 2008: John McCain wins the Republican Nomination, Dems continue.

U.S. Senator John McCain has officially won the Republican Nomination for President of the United States recieving officially 1,195 delegates 4 more than the total needed to clinch the nomination. McCain entered the race, a frontrunner, fell to also-ran near dead status and with wins in NH, SC, and FL he was able to secure the nomination. Fmr. Governor Mike Huckabee has officially withdrawn his candidacy for president and endoresed John McCain. This comes after loses to McCain in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island. Following his victory for the nomination, President of the United States, George W. Bush is reported to tomorrow hand over the leadership of the Republican Party to this party's new nominee. Congrats to Sen. McCain. As you know this site has for a year now been supporting his candidacy and after a roller coaster ride is excited to continue to support him till November. On the Democratic Side, Sen. Barack Obama has won Vermont, and Sen. Hillary Clinton has won Rhode Island, but it is too close to call in Ohio and Texas with less than 15% reporting in btoh. Huge turnout in all 4 states. Hillary holds a double digit lead in Ohio, while Obama leads by single digits in Texas. Both could go either way according to polls, and we will have to wait till the morning probably. I'm leaving town for Washington D.C. so I won't have any posts for the results until I get back Sunday.

Taking a Break!

After the long Primary season and my week hiatus I will take a break for a while and will post next week!

Decision 2008: Our Endorsements!

Well with the Election year in full swing Politics-Central has decided to release its endorsements for the campaign as of now.

Endorsements:
U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for President of the United States
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) for U.S. Senator
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) for U.S. Senator
Cynthia Lummis for Wyoming's Lone U.S. House Seat
Mike Johanns for U.S. Senator
Lane Startin for Idaho Governor
U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) for U.S. Senator
Jim Risch for U.S. Senator
Chris Peden for Texas U.S. House District #14
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts for U.S. Senator
Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) for U.S. Senator
Roy Brown for Montana Governor
U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) for U.S. Senator

More to come later on in the 2008 Campaign.

Decision 2008: McCain and Obama sweep Potomac Primaries

Yesterday, Senators McCain and Obama won the Republican and Democratic Primaries. Both won convincingly. McCain emerged victorious in DC and Maryland by wide margins . Huckabee surged to a close 2nd in VA, but all the states delegates went into Sen. McCain's column, for his win there. Obama surged into the lead among delegates, with huge victories in all 3 contests over Sen. Clinton. He now leads in states, popular votes, polls, and delegates officially winning the title for the first time, frontrunner. Will it hold? We'll find out in next Tuesdays Hawaii and Wisconsin Primaries. McCain and Obama are favored in both contests.

Decision 2008: Obama sweeps 4 contests, Huckabee wins big surprises.

Well Sen. Barack Obama is well on his way to becoming the frontrunner for the nomination and could be the very first candidate to defeat the Clinton Machine. He wins Washington, Nebraska Louisana and Maine contests over the weekend by huge margins. He now has Sen. Clinton's delegate lead including Superdelegates down to 3-30. Some have him leading. If Hillary is relying on the Superdelegates she may still yet come up short. Hillary now has must wins. A first for her. She must win Ohio, Texas and PA. If she loses more than 2 of those contests Obama will surge to the nomination. This is still a very close race, but Obama will surge into the lead, tomorrow by winning all 3 contests tomorrow. Fmr. Governor Mike Huckabee sweeped 2 contests in Kansas and Louisiana, stunning GOP Presumptive Nominee John McCain when he only narrowly carried Washington state. But before we get too carried away there is still no plausible scenerio where Huckabee overtakes McCain unless all of the Romney deleagtes swing his way, and he wins all of the remaining contests. McCain still will shortly secure the nomination. McCain picked up however a huge conservative endorsement this week, Fmr. Florida Governor, Undeclared Romney Supporter and Brother of the President, Jeb Bush united behind McCain, after President Bush said conservatives need to rally behind the nominee. McCain is leading Huckabee in polls in VA, DC, and MAryland and will likely win all three putting him ever so close to that magic number of clinching the nomination. On March 4th, I look for McCain to officially clinch the nomination for the Republicans.

Decision 2008: McCain's Veepstakes

As the Republican race for president comes to close, the race to be the name below John McCain's is on the ballot and the campaign signs begins. John McCain has secured the nomination for the Republicans and now he needs a Vice Presidential Running Mate here is our list of the choices we feel McCain may consider on his short list.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
South Carolina Governor Mike Sanford
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour
U.S. Senator John Thune
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham
Former MA Governor Mitt Romney
Fmr. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge
Fmr. U.S. Senator Phil Gramm
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback
U.S. Senator Richard Burr
Florida Governor Charlie Crist
U.S. Senator Mel Martinez
U.S. Congressman Mike Pence
Fmr. U.S. Senator George Allen
Fmr. U.S. Senator Fred Thompson
U.S. Senator Tom Coburn

Long Shots
U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman
Fmr. Governor Jeb Bush
U.S. Senator Kay Hutchison
Fmr. NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Fmr. U.S. Sec. of State Colin Powell

I'm hoping for a McCain/Huckabee ticket or a McCain/Thune Ticket, but Im sure I will be satiffied with whoever Sen. McCain chooses as his running mate, just as long a John McCain is the next president of the United States.

Descision 2008: Thank Mitt! Gov. Romney departs Presidential Bid, giving McCain the ticket to the General

Today Former MA Governor Mitt Romney, who once was the frontrunner for the nomination, ended his campaign for the GOP Presidential Nomination. This comes after putting forward a strong campaign for the nomination raising millions of dollars, 200+ delegates, and winning 10 contests. At the CPAC he gave his concession speech and decided he should step aside stating he wanted the party to unite for the good of the nation. He didn't endorse any candidate, but after spending millions of his own money and no winning scenerio left, he has decided to quit. Romney is rumored to be considering another bid for the presidency in 4 to 8 years, however he better get back into politics if he wished for this to happen. Nonetheless he is a frontrunner should McCain lose this November. Romney's withdrawal has nearly given John McCain the title of Presumptive Nominee and a ticket to the General Election this November. Now all thats left is McCain's veepstakes. Huckabee has no shot at the nomination and will withdraw shortly giving McCain the official title of Presumptive Nominee. After being trounced this weekend it wont be long until he withdraws.

Decision 2008: Post Super Tuesday Results, McCain surges, Hillary vs. Obama.

Well Yesterday was an exciting night, and the exit polls were wrong and my predictions were off yeah I know by alot. Well after half the nation has voted where do we stand now in the race for the presidency?

The Republicans: It wasn't the McCain sweep I had expected, but it was enough to make him unstoppable. McCain won all of the big winner take all delegate states, and the all important California Primary. That should be hard to overcome. Huckabee really surprised me. I thought he woudl only win Arkansas but he won all of ther Southern states, and crushed Romney's hopes. Romney did score wins in the rural caucus states and his homestate of MA, but nothing convincing enough to win the nomination, but enough for him to calim he can go on and write more checks to himself. Spend as much money as you can Romney this will do no good with party unity, when McCain does officially clinch the nomination which isn't too far off. McCain is likely to sweep Washington and Louisiana, but Kansas is another rural caucus, Romney could sweep, because of conservative support, but I still feel McCain is going to sweep almost every contest remaining.

The Democrats: Obama's momentum pulled off to win 13 states several of which were in Clinton territory. He didn't pull off a win in California, but Obama was able to pull off big wins in, GA, AL, MO, and CT. All 4 except GA were expected to go to Hillary 2 weeks ago. Hillary remains about 100 delegates ahead because she won the bigger contests, however Obama is looking pretty good in the upcoming schedule. He will probably win most if not all the contests on Saturday and on Tuesday and could catch Hillary by next week. It is looking to be a long Democratic contest battle to the nomination. I doubt we wont have this resolved until April or there is now a strong possibility this could go to convention, but I bet one candidate will clinch with just 2 candidates remaining. Coming out of this race Obama is hoping to sweep the smaller contests and hope that will keep his momentum going to win Texas and Ohio in March and PA in April. Howewer Hillary will be focusing on those big states and has an advantage there currently. This race could go either way

Delegate Counts

(Super Tuesday delegates still being tallied)

Republicans (1,191 to win)

(R)John McCain 680

(R)Mitt Romney 270

(R)Mike Huckabee 176

(R)Ron Paul 16

Democrats (2,025 to win)

(D)Hillary Clinton 818

(D)Barack Obama 730

(D)John Edwards 26

Decision 2008: Super Tuesday Eve

Well as the campaign winds down the all-important Super Tuesday is finally here, and the height of the race has come. We may very well know the nominees tomorrow or this race will march on. We are certain however that tomorrow no one will officially clinch the nominations of either party.

On the Republican Side, Sen. John McCain leads everywhere and should sweep at least 14 states, but he does need to win California, and he likely will. I doubt the voters of CA would switch votes to man who has no chance of winning this state, than to vote for aman wh can win CA. Huckabee is hoping for wins in AR, MO, OK, GA and AL, but will likely only get about one win out of that and its his homestate. McCain appears to be well on his way to getting the force enough to cap this thing. If he wins California which he likely will, McCain will be officially unstoppable. Romney needs wins in the South and in CA, to actually officially make a 2-man race.

On the Democrats Side, Sen. Hillary Clinton has dramatically at the last minute fell in the polls and the race is a dead heat everywhere. National polls are tied. CA Polls lean Obama, but it coudl go either way. Hillary needs to upset Obama in the South and hold onto CA, to become the clear frontrunner again, but I doubt she can do both. This race will likely go on until March when Ohio and Texas decide, or maybe even in April when PA decides. This is the most interesting race in a long long long time, but with Edwards out this will not go to convention. Some one will have enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

My Overall Primary Predictions:

Sen. John McCain vs. Sen. Hillary Clinton for the right to become the 44th President of the United States.

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #50

These will be our final Presidential Power Rankings for this election season. Ill post General Election Rankings after the conventions. After 50 rankings here is how we stand:

Republicans:

1st: John McCain (rising) McCain now is officially crowned GOP frontrunner with big win out of Florida. McCain now rides the winds of ths win into Super Tuesday where he leads in most polls in almost every state. McCain is now inching closer to capping this thing, and we crown him nominee-to-be. I see no scenerio where McCain doesn't win the nomination for the Republicans.

2nd: Mitt Romney (falling) Doing well in the debate tonight, but it was more of just for show. Romney is too far behind and trails in too many states to win the nomination unless something huge happens causing McCain too slip, but that is very unlikely.

3rd: Mike Huckabee (steady) Could win one or two states in the South next week, but he doesn't have the startegy or the money to continue much farther than Super Tuesday. he'll stay in to steal votes from Romney and to be a VP running mate.

4th: Ron Paul (falling) Paul isn't showing any support above 5% now and is support is slipping quickly. Congressman Paul is running a spoiler campaign just with alot of money nothing more.

Democrats:

1st: Hillary Clinton (falling) Hillary is slipping, with the momentum again in Obama's corner however she still holds leads in Super Tuesday states. Clinton's national lead is slipping, but I still see her as the frontrunner, and the advantage is in her corner.

2nd: Barack Obama (rising) Obama is rising, but he has a wide gap to close and only in 6 days. Obama could pick up a lot of delegates and I won't count Obama out until Texas and Ohio on March 4th, where I bete Obama can do well in.

Super Tuesday Predictions (final predictions on 2/4)
Republicans
Alabama: McCain wins, Huckabee 2nd
Alaska: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
Arizona: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
Arkansas: Huckabee wins, McCain 2nd
California: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
Colorado: Toss-Up between McCain and Romney
Connecticut: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
Delaware: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
Georgia: McCain wins, Huckabee 2nd
Illionis: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
Massachusetts: Romney wins, McCain 2nd
Minnesota: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
Missouri: McCain wins, Huckabee 2nd
New Jersey: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
New York: McCain wins, Romney 2nd
North Dakota: Toss-up No Polling???
Oklahoma: McCain wins, Huckabee 2nd
Tennessee: McCain wins, Huckabee 2nd
Utah: Romney wins, McCain 2nd
West Virginia: McCain wins, Romney 2nd

States to watch: CA, MO, CO, AL, OK, GA, TN

Democrats
Alabama: Obama wins, Clinton 2nd
Alaska: Clinton wins, Obama 2n:d
Arizona: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd
Arkansas: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

California: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Colorado: Obama wins, Clinton 2nd

Connecticut: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Delaware: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Georgia: Obama wins, Clinton 2nd

Idaho: Obama wins, Clinton 2nd,

(Lane Startin persuaded me otherwise in this state)

Illionis: Obama wins, Obama 2nd

Kansas: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Massachusetts: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Minnesota: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Missouri: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

New Jersey: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

New Mexico: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

New York: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

North Dakota: No Polling???

Oklahoma: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Tennesee: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

Utah: Clinton wins, Obama 2nd

States to watch: AL, CA, MA, CO, CT

Decision 2008: Governor Schwarzenegger to endorse John McCain

Right before the Super Tuesday primaries in which California will hold its primary, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain for President Thursday. The Governor had been neutral in most of the race, however he has chosen to support McCain before this crucial primary or the crown jewel of the primaries, California. Polls right now have McCain leading by double digits in California and now with Giuliani and Schwarzenegger's endorsements, McCain can not put New York and California the biggest primaries in the election in his pocket. Also tonight the candidates debated and we saw the most vicious feud between Romney and McCain. Romney was trying to close the gap of McCain's huge lead and advantage coming into Super Tuesday. This debate really had no effect although Romney did seem to benefit from their feud. As we approach Super Tuesday I will post my power rankings, and predictions for which states will go for which candidae. (Note: I haven't been wrong on official predictions of contests yet.) Oh yeah and Super Bowl predictions,GO PATS!!!!!!

Decision 2008: John Edwards withdraws.

Former North Carolina U.S. Senator John Edwards is set to withdraw his candidacy for President of the United States after disappointing finishes in all of the early contests. Edwards was the first Democrat to enter the race in December of 2006, and entered a leading contender for the nomination following a previous presidential campaign, and being the Democrats's 2004 Vice Presidential Candidate. Edwards finished 2nd in Iowa and needed a win there, and finished no better fir the rest of the campaign. Many suspected he would stay in until the convention to be the King or Queen maker. Edwards isn't endorsing any candidate at the moment, and probably won't for awhile, but I suspect he leans towards Obama.

Decision 2008: Rudy Giuliani to withdraw and endorse McCain.

After a disappointing finish in FL, in which he was expected to win months ago, America's Mayor Rudy Giuliani is withdrawing his candidacy for President reportedly and endorsing John McCain for President. Rudy Giuliani who once led the polls nationally and was the frontrunner, will be ending a campaign that was more disappointing than the others. He wanted a win tonight and needed it badly now that he is trailing in NY. Giuliani's strategy since the beginning was to skip the early states and win FL and Super Tuesday. After losing all the early states quite hadnily his numbers slipped quickly. This will likely solidly deliver McCain the Northeast on Super Tuesday and he can put NY and NJ in his pocket. Giuliani now after losing all of the contests so far, he is withdrawing according to the AP, and endorsing McCain. Giuliani is rumored to be considered as a possible VP contender now with his campaign and political career seeming to be over after this sad night for his campaign.

Decision 2008: McCain wins Florida!

Well is there any doubt now that John McCain is the frontrunner for the nomination. McCain now with his win tonight leads, in votes, states, polls, and delegates. McCain is well on his way to the nomination and we are predicting the next Republican Nominee for President will be John McCain. McCain now goes on with wind in his sails and already a huge lead in Super Tuesday. Rumors are already afloat he will withdraw tomorrow and endorse McCain tomorrow. We''l have to wait and see as the candidate himself says he will participate tomorrow in the CNN Debate. Romney moves on severly hurt, but not completely dead. We'll see how long he fights McCain for the Nomination. Hillary Clinton won a beauty contest in Fl, by a wide margin but no deleagtes awarded so really it didn't matter.

Florida Republican Presidential Primary Results

(R)John McCain 693,508 36% 57 Delegates

(R)Mitt Romney 598,188 31%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 281,781 15%

(R)Mike Huckabee 259,735 14%

(R)Ron Paul 62,063 3%

(R)Fred Thompson 22,288 1%

(R)Duncan Hunter 2,787 0%

Florida Democratic Presidential Primary Results

(D)Hillary Clinton 857,208 50%

(D)Barack Obama 569,041 33%

(D)John Edwards 248,604 14%

(D)Dennis Kucinich 9,537 1%

Decision 2008: South Carolina and Florida.

Dems South Carolina:Well this weekend we have another contest for the Democrats, however this one is very crucial than the past Nevada. Polls have Barack Obama with a 7-22 point lead, but most show his lead slipping and Edwards is rising. Obama's support among white voters is gone which is surprising, since he carried Iowa and did well in NH, by winning the white votes because of the few minorities. Clinton is doing well and some have polls of her within single digits of the lead and if she can at least come within 10 she can spin that as a comeback and it will not hurt her standgins at all on Super Tuesday. Edwards needs a very strong finish, but I doubt he has the time to come in 2nd. He'll finish 3rd, but might break 20%. Our predictions, Obama will win by less than 7, Clinton close 2nd, Edwards not too far behind. Congressman Kucinich is dropping out of the race, so whatever support he had will go to Obama likely. Im kinda surprised I though Kucinich '04. would stay in the race till the convention liek he did in. He faces a tough re-election so that might have contributed.


GOP Florida: I'm getting really tired of this close races. I hopes there is a blowout, soon. This one 4-way race is now a 2-man race between guess who? John McCain and Mitt Romney. Who else. These two have been top rivals for most of the campaign and with this being their what well I guess 3rd 2-way race both 1 for 2. McCain held a small lead 3 days ago, however he and Romney our now deadlocked. 3 polls have McCain with a 2-5 point lead and 3 polls have Romney both with a 3-4 point lead. All the polls however show Giuliani slipping to a fight for 3rd, instead of first with Mike Huckabee. Giuliani needs a win here to continue. I expect McCain to eek out a narrow victory, but I wont count out the Mitt Machine as I have in the past. Either will be in 1st or 2nd, Giuliani 3rd, and Huckabee 4th. This will force Giulaini out, but surprisingly Huckabee still leads in some southern states such as Georgia, so I'm not willing to count him out. McCain leads in the Northeast, and whomever wins Florida may get a boost in CA where McCain currently leads. If McCain can hold on to the lead should he not win, he will be the nominee, and if wins FL, he will nearly clinch this thing on Super Tuesday. Romney needs a win here to make it an overall 2-way race.

Decision 2008: Fred Thompson withdraws

Today after a disappointing 3rd place finish in must-win South Carolina, Former U.S. Senator and Actor Fred Thompson withdrew his candidacy for President. Sen. Thompson at one time was the frontrunner for the Republicans over the summer, but of his funding, and very late start in the race hurt his chances significantly. His lazy campaiging also hurt his candidacy and his look as the only real conservative candidate in the race. Sen. Thompson's strongest finish in the race was a 2nd place finish in Wyoming, and he needed a win in South Carolina however came in a distant 3rd. Thompson hasn't yet endorsed any candidate at this time, however endrosed Sen. John McCain in 2000 and is expected to do so once again. Thompson's campaign in SC helped carry Sen. McCain to victory, drawing away evangelical votes from Mike Huckabee, and giving McCain a much needed win. Thompson is also mentioned as a possible VP candidate in the fall, but no sources have confirmed this.

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #49: McCain vs. Clinton?

Iowa, NH, Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina for the GOP are done, and here is how the race is shaping up.

Republicans

1st: John McCain (rising) McCain emerged as the frontrunner with a win in SC. McCain has even picked up the surge yet in Florida from SC and he already leads there. His national lead and Super Tuesday state leads also remain strong. Unless there is a major upset in FL I can't see any other situation, but McCain winning the nomination. He still has a strong enough showing among the GOP and Independents to probably clinch the nomination not that long after Super Tuesday.

2nd: Mitt Romney (steady) Romney won NV in a landslide but no one really cares. he skipped the important SC primary and they showed him what happens when you do and dealt him the worst finish yet in the race. Romney needs an upset win in FL to win the nomination however that isn't likely. Romney is McCains only real challenger now.

3rd Tied: Rudy Giuliani (steady) Giuliani is still in the runnignf or hsi do or die state and if he wins there he can pull another comeback in this different race, however I think the nation is tired of comebacks and they will show that Rudy's poor finishings in the early states will kill his chances.

3rd Tied: Mike Huckabee (falling) He needed a win in SC to keep his lead in the South, but with that gone and his FL support diminshing his win in Iowa will likely be forgotten and McCain is looking to sweep the South on Super Tuesday with Huckabee severly wounded.

5th: Fred Thompson (falling) Thompson finished 3rd, but he needed a strong 2nd or a win in SC and he didn't get anywhere close, so I think its safe to say Thompson is out of the race.

Democrats

1st: Hillary Clinton (rising) Hillary is surging in SC and everywhere else and the Obama momentum has ended. Hillary did ahve to work for it, but if she finishes strong in SC, and wins FL plus big wins in Super Tuesday she can clinch this thing.

2nd: Barack Obama (steady) Obama needs a strong win in SC, too comeback to frontrunner status and win some states on Super Tuesday but its looking like Hillary has the advantage. Obama can't be counted out yet hwoever.

3rd: John Edwards (falling) I apologize. I actually thought Edwards could win Nevada when polls had him standing pretty good, in the upper twenties, but shows how you an't trust them. His 4% finsih did indeed kill whatever chance he had left. Edwards is now the King or Queen maker, and he could set himself up for a VP of cabinet position, if he sways his support the right way.

Other Candidates disqualified from rankings.

Decision 2008: McCain wins SC, Romney wins NV and Hillary wins NV

Well the big news of the evening is Senator John McCain who was left for dead over the summer, has emerged as the Republican Frontrunner and won the South Carolina Primary. McCain emerges after his triumphant win here to go into Florida where he already leads and close the deal or come close to it. McCain does face a challenge from the Nevada Caucus Winner today, Mitt Romney, however the caucus was minor and uncontested by the other candidates. Hillary Clinton surprised Obama's union endorsers and won the Democratic frontrunner spot, with a win in Nevada, and a strong chance to surprise us next week and shut down the Obama campaign. Obama leads in the polls in SC and McCain leads in Florida but will that hold? Congressman Duncan Hunter also exited the race for what its worth.


South Carolina GOP Presidential Primary Results 99% Reporting
(R)John McCain 143,224 33% 19 Delegates
(R)Mike Huckabee 128,908 30% 5 Delegates
(R)Fred Thompson 67,897 16%
(R)Mitt Romney 64,970 15%
(R)Ron Paul 15,773 4%
(R)Rudy Giuliani 9,112 2%
(R)Duncan Hunter 1,035 0%

Nevada GOP Presidential Caucus Results 100% Reporting
(R)Mitt Romney 22,649 51% 18 Delegates
(R)Ron Paul 6,087 14% 4 Delegates
(R)John McCain 5,651 4 Delegates
(R)Mike Huckabee 3,616 2 Delegates
(R)Fred Thompson 3,521 2 Delegates
(R)Rudy Giuliani 1,910 1 Deleagate
(R)Duncan Hunter 890 2%

Nevada Democratic Presidential Caucus Results 98% Reporting
(D)Hillary Clinton 5,355 State Delegates 51% 12 Delegates
(D)Barack Obama 4,773 State Delegates 45% 13 Delegates
(D)John Edwards 396 State Delegates 4%
Uncommitted 31 State Delegates 0%
(D)Dennis Kucinich 5 State Delegates 0%

Decision 2008: Nevada and South Carolina

2 contests this weekend and here how hey are shaping up.

Dem. Races: Hillary Vs. Obama goes to its worst, as the bitter fight moves to actual contest the first since Hillary's upset win in NH. In Nevada Clinton and Obama are neck and neck with some showing Edwards in the hunt, so what does this mean for each candidate. For the Clinton Campaign she is hoping to pull another upset in NV and some polls showing her in the lead. With the unions organizing Obama's supporters for the Caucuses she is going to have to work overtime to win here. For the Obama campaignhe hopes his recent endorsements and excitement of his campaign pulls off win #2 in a caucus. Obama needs to win to keep the momentum away from Hillary who leads him in most upcoming contests. Edwards is also hoping for a strong finish this weekend in NV. He hopes to at least come in 2nd, but he really needs a win here and polls showing him in striking distance. South Carolina for the Dems isn't till next Sat., but we thought we would give a little mention of it. In South Carolina with the overwhleming Black vote in SC, Obama has the advantage but the white is swinging Hillary's direction, and with her rising numbers she hopes she can end the Obama phonamonan this weekend with an upset win. Edwards will likely lose this primary, a state in won in 2004, and by a huge margin. Predictions: Hillary prevails in Nevada Obama 2nd Edwards 3rd and Obama edges Hillary out in SC by 5+ points.

GOP Race: Both contests for the Republicans is up this weekend, and the field may finally narrow after the weekend. Fmr. Sen. Fred Thompson who is polling about a tie for 3rd place in SC needs a win here, however that is very unlikely. 2 other men need wins this weekend. John McCain and Mike Huckabee and both say they win win. McCain is hoping history does repeat itself. In 2000 Governor Bush overwhelmed McCain here in SC and ended his campaign. McCain is leading all the polls and the momentum is still in his corner but can he hold on to it? Huckabee being from the South and he needs a win here. Huckabee is now in a fight for the South for McCain, and a win here would cripple his biggest rival according to polls. Romney is pulling out of SC however did make one stop there and re-aired his campaign ads so he hopes that will get him a strong 3rd place finish. He is hoping for a win in Nevada, where polls show him in another fight with Sen. McCain, but with McCain focusing entirely on SC, Romney will likely get win #3, but it may be his last. McCain is hoping his momentum helps him pick up a few delegates in Nevada and the rest of the candidates aren't concerned about Nevada. I predict McCain will win SC and Romney will revail in Nevada, with Thompson dropping out and endorsing McCain and the Huckabee campaign seriously wounded.

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #48

Iowa, NH, and Michigan are up, and we have 3 diffent winners. The most complexed Nomination race is on the way.

Republicans

1st: John McCain (steady) Michigan was a sad upset for the McCain campaign, but with his lead holding in SC McCain still holds the frontrunner spot. His huge lead nationally and growing leads in Super Tuesday states, will catch up his weak funding. McCain needs a win in SC to keep frontrunner status. Without it his campaign will far all apart again and dont look for another comeback.

2nd: Mitt Romney (rising) Michigan put him back in the race and he leads the pack in fundraisng votes, states and the all-important delegate count. Romney is looking for his 3rd win in Nevada this weekend with polls favorable. Romney will need it with a likely 3rd or worse finish in South Carolina. The only question I have is where does the Romney campaign go after this weekend. he trails in every Super Tuesday state except his other 2 homestates of Utah and MA. Hs money is gone and he is speanding his own now. Romney will need some wins and a bounce to become viable.

3rd: Mike Huckabee (steady) Huckabee is rising in polls in SC slowly, however his slipping numbers in his stronghold of the south he needs a win this Saturday, or his win in Iowa will be long forgotten.

4th: Rudy Giuliani (falling) Giuliani is now in a 4-way fight for a win in Florida, his do or die state. Without a win there his Super Tuesday standing will fall apart quickly, and another candidat or candidates will emerge without him.

5th: Fred Thompson (rising) Thompson is rising and is up to 17% in SC but that is still only a fight for 3rd. He needs a win here to continue and without one he will be done. I expect Thompson to quit the race next week and endorse McCain.

Democrats:

1st: Hillary Clinton (rising) Hillary won a meaningless beauty contest in Michigan, however Hillary is closing the gap in SC, and even if she finishes in a strong 2nd she can spin it as a win. If she upsest Obama in Nevada as recent polling suggests she can hold the momentum into Florida and Super Tuesday where she holds substaintial leads in both.

2nd: Barack Obama (steady) Obama will likely win this weekend in both states and will ned both wins to overtake Hillary's wide Super Tuesday lead. If things hold Hillary could wipe Obama out in Super Tuesday in one fowl swoop. Obama needs convincing wins to hold onto the momentum in the race. Obama is far from out, but his campaign needs to be doing some manuvering.

3rd: John Edwards (falling) Edwards absolutel needs a upset win in Nevada and close 3rd in Sc to even be considered now and both seem unlikely. Edwards who was a serious candidate just so shortly ago, is a spoiler in the race to the 2-person primary battle.

4th: Dennis Kucinich (falling) Kucinich has neer been in the race but when he only got 5% in Michigan competing against Mr. Uncommitted and lost badly. The spoiler lives on however.

5th: Mike Gravel (falling) Gravel is done and you probably dont even know who he is.

Delegate Count
Republicans (1,191 in order to clinch nomination.)
(R)Mitt Romney 41
(R)John McCain 19
(R)Mike Huckabee 17
(R)Fred Thompson 8
(R)Ron Paul 4
(R)Duncan Hunter 1
(R)Rudy Giuliani 1

Democrats ( 2,208 in order to clinch nomination)
(D)Barack Obama 25
(D)Hillary Clinton 24
(D)John Edwards 18

Decision 2008: Romney wins Michigan

Well Former Massachusetss Governor Mitt Romney has indeed won the Michigan Primary, but the media is already getting ahead of themselves and calling Romney the frontrunner again. Romney is creditted for his win tonight, however this is his homestate. Romney now moves on with the money and the organization, but the race is wide open. No clear frontrunner tonight, with this being Romney's homestate. Well on to Nevada and South Carolina this weekend. Romney is contending in Nevada and will be McCain vs. Romney round 3 overtime and in South Carolina, McCain vs. Huckabee. Romney may recieve some momentum tonight but with it being his homestate it shouldn't matter as much. After whoever wins South Carolina will contend in Florida against Giuliani and right now its a near 4-way tie! This could be a long fight for the nomination for the Republicans

Michigan Presidential Primary Results

(R)Mitt Romney 337,847 39% 20

(R)John McCain 257,521 30% 7

(R)Mike Huckabee 139,699 16% 3

(R)Ron Paul 54,434 6%

(R)Fred Thompson 32,135 4%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 24,706 3%

Uncommitted 17,971 2%

(R)Duncan Hunter 2,823 0.33%

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #47

With NH and Iowa done how is the race shaping up? I will be gone for 3 days but will be back to post about the Michigan Primary after the weekend.

Republicans

1st: John McCain (rising) New polls show McCain leading nationally, and in the upcoming primaries in Michigan, and South Carolina. McCain has done it when no one else thought he could. He is the frontrunner for the first time in 7 months. McCain is focusing this week on South Carolina with a brief stop in Michigan. South Carolina is critical to his campaign as in 2000 McCain won NH, but lost SC and the momentum was gone afterwards. McCain hopes tonight's debate keeps his momentum going.

2nd: Mike Huckabee (rising) Stong in Michigan and South Carolina, Huckabee seems to be focusing on South Carolina. Huckabee may have McCain's worst nightmare of 2000 become his 2008 nightmare with polls showing him trailing McCain. Huckabee also hopes for a strong performance tonight and pray for this race to become a McCain-Huckabee fight to the finish instead of more comebacks.

3rd: Mitt Romney (falling) Romney is in trouble. His campaign has ignored South Carolina, and is now focusing on Michigan his birth state. He wins there Romney could start to comeback after his disappointing 2nd finishes in IA and NH. Romney has pulled his tv spots and recources out of SC, FL and Super Tuesday. Michigan is his do or die state.

4th: Rudy Giuliani (falling) Giuliani needs a win in Florida and a Romney win in Michigan, but both look unlikely. Polls have the once claimed America's Mayor Giuliani running 4th in Florida Giuliani is in trouble and with 2 poor 6th and 4th finishes in Iowa and NH. Giuliani the once frontrunner is in trouble, but I think all the candidates in the top 5 have held the spot of frontrunner.

5th: Fred Thompson (falling) Thompson's do or die state now is South Carolina with his entire campaign in the state. Thompson is in 4th and very distant. Thompson is going to have to make alot of ground.

Democrats

1st Tied: Hillary Clinton (rising) Hillary's surprise win in NH put the momentum back in her corner, but she trails in South Carolina, and needs wins in Super Tuesday to keep a strong campaign and remain a frontrunner. Clinton's experience factor may weigh in if she can perform well against Obama in upcoming debates.

1st Tied: Barack Obama (rising) Obama is still a strong force with his popularity remaining high. He just wont get a cornation neither candidate will. They will both ahve to work for it. Obama will likely win South Carolina, but I better not make any predictions yet with polls proving wrong in NH. We really do have a race now, but a 2-person race.

3rd: John Edwards (falling) Edwards has slipped to 3rd in his homestate and his birthstate he trails by a wide margin. Edwards is finished. He will not make any wins and the only thing to consider about his campaign is how long stay in and steal vtes from Obama. Edwards will quit maybe as soon after South Carolina.

4th: Dennis Kucinich (steady) Kucinich is in it till convention like the last campaign, and will be a small spoiler.

5th: Mike Gravel (falling) Another weak spoiler hes done, but we needed 5 spots, but something tills me in 2 weeks will be down 3 or 2.

Decision 2008: John Kerry endorses Barack Obama

2004 Democratic Presidential Nominee, and U.S. Senator John Kerry endorsed Barack Obama for president. Sen. John Edwards, Kerry's running mate in 2004, was expected to pick-up Kerry's endorsement earlier in the campaign, but Kerry chose to snub Edwards and select Obama. Kerry narrowly lost the 2004 Presidential Election to President Bush as we all remember, and Obama is continually picking up support and endorsements, despite Sen. Hillary Clinton's victory last Tuesday.

Decision 2008: Bill Richardson to end Pres. Campaign.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson after two disapointing finishes of under 5% and 4th place finishes and with dried up funding sources say he will end his presidential campaign. Richardson never really had a strong hold on this race although early campaigning and polls showed him at double digit level. Richardson is a Vice Presidential Hopeful should Hillary Clinton become the nominee, and now seems to be focusing on that or positioning for a later presidential run without the big celebrities in the race. Richardson is now the 3rd Democratic victim of the primaries, preceded by Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, and he will not be the last. Sen. John Edwards and Congressman Dennis Kucinich are expected to remain in the race until Super Tuesday. No candidates on the Republican side have ended their campaigns since Congressman Tancredo did back in December before the Holidays.

Decision 2008: Night of Comebacks. On to Michigan and South Carolina.

Last Night certainly was the night of comebacks. Sen. John McCain who was left for dead in the presidential campaign by the media last summer, upsetted Governor Mitt Romney in NH. Both needed to win the state to move forward. It will be very difficult for Romney to move on back to frontrunner status and now his state has put all his resources in his birth state, Michigan. Without a win there Romney will likely end his presidential ambitions, or will just lag on. On the Democratic side the Former Frontrunner Hillary Clinton is now close or is the frontrunner again. After polls showed a huge Obama victory Hillary didn't let that stop her and she beat yes beat Sen. Barack Obama and the Obama phenomanon is over and we have a race on our hands. Obama holds a big lead in SC but no polls have shown Hillary's victory boost so I expect the state to be close. Next Tuesday is Michigan and with Hillary the only major competitor on the ballot, she will win big but, no delegates will be at stake on the Democratic side. On the Republican side this is looking to be Romney's last stand without a win there is campaign is certainly if not already finished. McCain needs a win there to keep frontrunner status alive and the momentum so he can start rolling in the money. Huckabee will need at least another 3rd, but he would hope for a stronger win. Even with polls showing Huckabee strong in Michigan he seems to be ignoring Michigan and focusing on South Carolina where he leads by a wide margin.

Actual New Hampshire Primary Results:

Republican

(R)John McCain 88,46637%

(R)Mitt Romney 75,343 32%

(R)Mike Huckabee 26,768 11%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 20,395 9%

(R)Ron Paul 18,303 8%

(R)Fred Thompson 2,886 1%

(R)Duncan Hunter 1,220 1%

(R)Alan Keyes 220 0%

Democratic
(D)Hillary Clinton 112,251 39%

(D)Barack Obama 104,772 36%

(D)John Edwards 48,681 17%

(D)Bill Richardson 13,249 5%

(D)Dennis Kucinich 3,919 1%

(D)Joe Biden 628 0% Dropped Out

(D)Mike Gravel 402 0%

Decision 2008: John McCain wins NH!!!! THE MAC IS BACK! Dems too close too call

Last post for this evening. Senator John McCain caped a major comeback and won a convincing victory over Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. Polls showed the race much closer but McCain proved true and won the race and is now the Frontrunner for the GOP Nomination. On the Democratic Sideits too close too call with Sen. Clinton ahead apparently. The race could go on all night should Hillary continue to lead Barack Obama. More to come tomorrow! Final Results posted tomorrow!

Decision 2008: The First in the Nation Primary!

New Hampshire citizens are now as we speak casting there ballots deciding whom they would prefer as President of the United States. Instead of going and declaring your preference like in a caucus and gathering in groups, and such NH is like a regular election where you go into a voting booth and cast a secret ballot. Barack Obama and John McCain are the favorites to win NH today, however the latest polls shiw a close race on both sides. The candidates are circling the state today with last minute events to win over undecideds. Hillary Clinton is desparate for a win today but Obama's surge may prove to overtake her. She needs to get within 7% of of Obama or she will be in trouble. I predict McCain will defeat Romney by 5+ and Obama will defeat Hillary Clinton by 7+. For up to the minute results go to http://www.wmur.com , and http://www.sos.nh.gov

Decision 2008: Our Poll Results

Here are our Poll Results for the past month for the Presidential Race:
(New Polls will not include candidates with X)

Republicans
(R)Huckabee 23%
(R)Romney 19%
(R)Paul 19%
(R)McCain 14%
(R)Giuliani 14%
(R)Thompson 9%
(R)Cox 4%
(R)Hunter 3%
(R)Tancredo 3% X
(R)Brownback 1% X

Democrats
(D)Obama 21%
(D)Richardson 21%
(D) Edwards 14%
(D)Biden 14% X
(D)Clinton 12%
(D)Gravel 12% X
(D)Kucinich 10%
(D)Dodd 1% X

Libertarians
(L)E. Thompson 35% X
(L)Jackson 22%
(L)Kubby 19%
(L)Smith 12%
(L Phillies 9%
(L)Root 9%
(L)Jingozian 9%
(L)Imperato 3%

Green
(G)Nader 36% X
(G)Rotzler 18%
(G)Swift 15%
(G)Schriner 9%
(G)Mesplay 9%
(G)Kangas 9%
(G)Bell 6%

Decision 2008: New Hampshire Primary Eve

Tomorrow is the "First in the Nation" Primary and the race and for most this is a do or die state. On the Republican Side Mitt Romney and John McCain both need wins here to have a shot. Rudy Giuliani needs a 3rd place finsi, but the Iowa Winner Mike Huckabee is expected to steal the position. John McCain is leading in the Polls but that could all change by tomorrow. Romney is hoping his finish in the debates this weekend and his non-stop campaigning to put him over the top. Huckabee is becoming the king of Late Night Comedy in politics to get a few free spots on the TV to help get his name out there for future contests. He is hoping on a win in South Carolina. The same goes for Fred Thompson. Thompson is likely going to finish near the bottom in NH, and he is making South Carolina his make or break state. Giuliani is focusing on a top 3 finish in NH and in South Carolina and a win in Florida. Then he can go after the big delegate states on Super Tuesday. On the Democratic Side Barack Obama is riding off his Iowa win and his message of change with a near double digit lead in NH over Hillary Clinton. Clinton's attacks on Obama have had no effect on Obama's growing lead. Edwards and Richardson trail far behind. The other candidates should have no effect on the rest of the race.

RCP Polling Averages
Republicans

(R)John McCain 33.6%
(R)Mitt Romney 28.7%

(R)Mike Huckabee 11.5%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 8.8%

(R)Ron Paul 7.4%

(R)Thompson 2.7%

Democrats
(D)Barack Obama 36.9%

(D)Hillary Clinton 29.1%

(D)John Edwards 18.8%

(D)Bill Richardson 5.9%

Decision 2008: On to New Hampshire

Iowa is over till 2012 and the race steams on to NH. This is actually a change for our politics because our Iowa winners may not win in NH.

NH-GOP Race: Its certain this is also a 2 man race between John McCain and Mitt Romney. This state is do or die state for both candidates. Romney is just off from his resounding defeat in Iowa, and with no momentum and money clearly not translating into votes, Romney has to hope his support doesn't falter. It is clear if Romney doesn't win this neighboring state he will be finsihed, even if he doesn't withdraw. John McCain is leading and the momentum is in his corner but the tracking polls still show a tight race and if some how Romney wins McCain is also finished. His momentum will be gone and Romney will be back in the race. Iowa Winner Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani will fight it out for Third. Ron Paul may also prove strong, and Fred Thompson will be at the bottom. I dont get that Fox isn't allowing Paul in their debate but ehri allowing Thompson who is polling at 2% in NH in.

NH-Dem Race: Barack Obama is riding under the Iowa wave of momentum and that may be enough to overcome Hillary's lead in the Granite state. This is a two man well man vs. woman race. Edwards and Richardson will fight for 3rd with Edwards probably on top. Obama and Hillary should play every trick in the book in attack ads in NH the next 4 days. The debates this weekend shouldn't have too much affect on the race and I believe Obama will win NH with an Iowa win but Hillary still has the Clinton comeback facotr so the race wll be far from over.

Our Predictions:

NH-GOP

1st: McCain
2nd: Romney

3rd: Huckabee

4th: Giuliani

5th: Paul

6th: Thompson
7th: Hunter

8th: Keyes

9th: Cox

NH-Dem.

1st: Obama

2nd: Clinton

3rd: Edwards

4th: Richardson

5th: Kucinich

6th: Gravel

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #46

The race for President is on and we have a whole new race on our hands. Check the Post-Iowa Politics-Central Power Rankings.

Republicans
1st tied: Mike Huckabee (rising) On the top of his Iowa victory, Huckabee could be on his way to frontrunner status but he better get a strong showing in NH and win Michigan and South Carolina if he wants to hold frontrunner status. Huckabee has proved himself, with Iowa coming from behind to beat the seemingly unstoppable Mitt Romney. Congrats to Governor Huckabee!

1st Tied: John McCain (rising) Romney's defeat allows McCain to surge t vicotry in NH and he is now in the best position to win the nomination hwoever he must win NH. People must remember Romney is still in a statistcal tie with McCain in NH so Romney isn't out quite yet. McCain has been given a 2nd chance so can he make something out of it?

3rd: Mitt Romney (falling) Despite what the candidate said himself yesterday was a stunning defeat for his campaign. He now is in danger of going extinct and becoming the Howard Dean of 2008. No screaming involved however. He needs a NH Gold, however with the momentum in McCain's corner Romney is in trouble.

4th Tied: Rudy Giuliani (falling) After polling 10 months agao at 20% Rudy only recieved 4%. A very poor showing for America's mayor. Giuliani needs a 3rd place in NH and a win in Florida. He may also need to start campaiging in South Carolina and forget his startegy.

4th Tied: Fred Thompson (rising) Thompson does need credit for a tie for 3rd place in Iowa, but a slight bronze isn't that great. Thompson has no startegy left and if McCain wins NH look for him to support McCain.

Democrats

1st: Barack Obama (rising) For the first time in our 46 rankings Politics-Central felt a win last night puts Obama in the best spot now to win the nomination. Obama's victory, 9 points over Hillary, needs to be given huge credit. Hillary was inevitable and now Obama is the only 1-0 candidate while Hillary is 0-1.

2nd: Hillary Clinton (falling) Hillary now needs to re-group and get it together in NH. She can gain frontrunner status back if only she can win NH. Without it Hillary will have to rely on Super Tuesday to get her campaign back on top. NH has been good to the Clintons in the past, will it remain good to the Clintons.

3rd: John Edwards (falling) Edwards needed a win not another 2nd place finish in Iowa so that has stuck a knive in his campaign. Edwards is finished and should be out before Super Tuesday.

4th: Bill Richardson (falling) Richardson got in the top 4 in Iowa and his campaign is bragging about that but what they forget is they recieved 2%. Don't be fooled Richardson is a vice presidential candidate and not a presidential candidate anymore.

5th: Dennis Kucinich (falling) Shut out of this weekend's debates Kucinich is in trouble. He wont get over 1%.

Decision 2008: Dodd, Biden will drop out.

After poor finishings in Iowa, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee withdrew their candidacies for president. Dodd and Biden both recieved under 1% of state delegates in the Iowa Caucus. Dodd barely made a presence on the race and the same goes for Biden. They raised small amounts, however Dodd practically moved to Iowa and only recieved 1 Delegate vote an embarrassing finish. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson decided to stay in the race, and Former Alaskan U.S. Senator Mike Gravel denied rumors of his withdrawal. On the Republican side Fmr. U.S. Senator Fred Thompson decided to stay in the race after a distant tie for 3rd place finish in Iowa with Sen. John McCain. Thompson if he doesn't withdraw by this weekend will end his campaign after South Carolina where he is trailing.

Decision 2008: Huckabee and Obama emerge victorious in Iowa!

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee trounced Mitt Romney in Iowa by 9 points and Obama did the same to Edwards and Hillary by 8 points. Both now have the advantage, however, McCain picks up the Iowa momentum coming into NH and now could beat and eliminate Mitt Romney form the race in NH. Obama is now on to a possible victory in NH. He could severely hurt should she lose NH. McCain and Thompson are in a dead heat for 3rd place and have basically tied for the position. Ron Paul finished strong in Iowa with 10%. More to come.

2008 Iowa Caucus Results

Republican 95% Reporting

(R)Mike Huckabee 39,814 34% 17

(R)Mitt Romney 29,405 25% 15

(R)Fred Thompson 15,521 13% 3

(R)John McCain 15,248 13% 3

(R)Ron Paul 11,598 10% 2

(R)Rudy Giuliani 4,013 4%

(R)Duncan Hunter 515 1%

Democratic 100% Reporting

(D)Barack Obama 940 38% 16

(D)John Edwards 744 30% 14

(D)Hillary Clinton 737 29% 15

(D)Bill Richardson 53 2%

(D)Joe Biden 23 1%

(D)Chris Dodd 1 0%

(D)Dennis Kucinich 0 0%

(D)Mike Gravel 0 0%

Decision 2008: Today is the day!!!! Iowa kicks off Presidential Race

Today after a year of campaiging Iowa voters will go to churches, schools, living rooms, etc. and tell the world who they support for president and the world is at a stand still as we wait for results to come in. America is holding its breath (well the ones not watching football) as tonight we may be a step closer to knowing who the next president of the United States. On the Democratic side we are deadlocked in a 3 way tie between Illionis U.S. Senator Barack Obama, New York U.S. Senator and Former First Lady Hillary Clinton, and Former North Carolina U.S. Senator John Edwards. Obama holds the momentum with polls showing a surge for him. Sen. Obama needs a big turnout tonight inorder to cap a major comeback. On the Republican side Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee narrowly leads Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Both are neck and neck with polls showing the latest possible surge for Huckabee regaining the lead. Will that be enough to cap a huge darkhorse surprise? We'll just have to wait and see.

Iowa Poll Averages

Democratic

(D)Obama 30.8%

(D)Clinton 29.2
(D)Edwards 26.0%
(D)Biden 5.4%

(D)Richardson 5.2%

(D)Dodd 1%

(D)Kucinich 1%
(D)Gravel -%

Republican

(R)Huckabee 29.7%

(R)Romney 26.7%

(R)McCain 11.8%

(R)Thompson 11.7%

(R)Paul 7.3%
(R)Giuliani 6%
(R)Hunter 1%

(R)Keyes -%

(R)Cox -%

Decision 2008: Eve of the Caucus

This is probably the most competitive Iowa Caucus in decades. All polls show different alternatives. Anyone one of the frontrunners could emerge victorious in Iowa. On the Republican side the Polling Firms all sow either Huckabee or Romney winning Iowa and McCain or Thompson from in 3rd. On the Democratic Side we see Hillary, Obama and Edwards still deadlocked. They are within 2-3 points of each other and polls, all show a different order for each. All can't afford a 3rd place finish. Its certain we could even have a tie or near tie in the caucs. What does this mean for New Hampshire? For the Republicans if Romney win Iowa he will more than likely win NH, if Huckabee wins then either McCain or Romney could win NH. McCain has gained the lead in NH, and if he wins there Romney is finished. On the Democratic side Hillary needs at least a close 2nd in Iowa to hold on to NH. If Obama wins Iowa he could certainly come close to winning NH. If Hillary wins Iowa its over. If Edwards wins Iowa Hillary will hold on and Edwards will come in 2nd and Obama is finished.

Our Final Predictions
Iowa Republican
1st: Huckabee
2nd: Romney
3rd: McCain
4th: Thompson
5th: Paul
6th: Giuliani
7th: Hunter
8th: Keyes

Iowa Democratic
1st: Clinton
2nd: Edwards
3rd: Obama
4th: Biden
5th: Richardson
6th: Dodd
7th: Kucinich
8th: Gravel

Happy New Year 2008!

HAPPY ELECTION YEAR 2008!!!!!!!!!!

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #45

Here is our final power rankings and our final annual end of the month rankings before the Iowa Caucus.

Republicans

1st: Mitt Romney (rising) Romney is the candidate best positioned to take the nomination. If he wins Iowa and NH he knocks out McCain and with Florida, Rudy will be out. Romney however needs a win in Iowa. He has regained or statistically tied Huckabee in Iowa with only 3 days left. Romney could be upsetted by both Huckabee and McCain and then Romney will be in trouble. Romney has enough money to continue well beyond losses in Iowa and NH should that happen.

2nd: John McCain (rising) McCain has surged to 3rd in Iowa and with that, a Huckabee win in Iowa and a win in NH McCain could be on his way to a major comeback. His campaign really needs a 3rd in Iowa and a win in NH. More importantly he needs Mike Huckabee to pull through in Iowa stoping the Mitt Machine.

3rd: Mike Huckabee (steady) He is now dead even in polls with Romney and the momentum could go either way these final days. Huckabee needs a win in Iowa to move on. Without it he won't have the money or momentum to contineue. After he needs a win in Michigan however McCain and Romney or whomever wins NH will be competitive.

4th: Rudy Giuliani (falling) Rudy has now expectations in Iowa NH, Michigan, South Carolina, and Nevada. He can afford to lose them all however his make or break state is Florida. Without it hes done. He can only hope he does perform too badly in those early states that woud hurt his campaign.

5th: Fred Thompson (falling) Thompson's Iowa tour is helping but with the surging campaign Thompson might just be a foot ote in this election. Without a 3rd place finish in Iowa Thompson will be out and slip to also ran status. However if Thompson gets a strong finish in Iowa he could surge in SC and win there and then surge to Florida. I dont see this happening but it is a possibility.

6th: Ron Paul (rising) Paul has the money but the question is can he translate that into votes. Paul could finish 4th and maybe even 3rd in NH and 4th in Iowa which would be a strong finish for Congressman Paul, however he has no startegy to win the nomination so look for him to just be a spoiler.

7th: Duncan Hunter (steady) Congressman Hunter has the experience but will finish near dead last in all the contests. The candidate himself knows he will be an also-ran.

8th: Alan Keyes (steady) His last presidential campaign may be his worst. He will likely not finish storng anywhere and doesn't have ballot access in several primaries. Keyes started to late and it has killed any chance he had.

9th: John Cox (steady) Cox did perform a strong campaign and recieved ballot access but dont look for that to translate to anything ober a few hundred votes if even that.

Democrats

1st: Hillary Clinton (steady) Hillary is on top of polls in Iowa, and that means if she wins its over. However polls are always accurate and her lead is within the margin of error. Sen. Clinton may have a terrible upset in Iowa which could lead to losses in NH, Iowa, and SC and then she will be in trouble.

2nd Tied: Barack Obama (steady) Obama is falling in Iowa and he needs a top 2 finish or he will be in trouble in NH. Obama is also slipping in NH and Edwards is rising, so it looks as if Edwards is slowly replacing Obama as the Clinton alternative. Obama must hold on in Iowa or its all over.

2nd Tied: John Edwards (rising) Edwards needs a win in Iowa and he may just get it. Edwards I see right now as the favorite to win Iowa, and with it he could upset Obama and Clinton, probably not Clinton, in NH. That may swing South Carolina a state he won 4 yars agao and lead to a close race in Florida. The cards are looking good for Edwards to upset his 2 main rivals and win the nomination.

4th: Joe Biden (rising) Biden has surprised us with 4th place finishes in most polls. Biden could surprise us here, but probably with nothing more than a 4th plae finish in Iowa and maybe the same in NH.

5th: Bill Richardson (falling) Richardson is falling and now is in a tooth and nail fight for 4th in Iowa with Biden and 4th in NH. Richardson will be out come Nevada.

6th: Dennis Kucinich (falling) Kucinich is concentrating in NH and may surprise us there but its doubtful. Kucinich will be a spoiler liek last time.

7th: Chris Dodd (falling) Dodd is dead last at 1% in all primaries and caucuses. Dodd will be another spoiler and also-ran.

8th: Mike Gravel (steady) At least Gravel is on the ballot in most stats. He won't even get 1% in any state, but he sure did make the debates interesting didn't he?

Decision 2008: The Final Countdown, 6 days and counting

Well after nearly 18 months, of speculating candidates, announcements, exploratory committees, debates, and straw polls the final week of the primary campaign before the primaries start is on. Iowa has never been more important and NH could go either way. These two states could decode the fait of America for the next 4 years.



Iowa GOP: Well we all know this race is coming down to 2 men, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. We may see a darkhorse make this competitive, however if that was going to happen that candidate would be already breathing down the 2 frontrunners's necks. It appears Fred Thompson needs a strong finish here or it will be his last stand. Thompson's Iowa Tour has made him competitve with the surging John McCain for 3rd place, however McCain could survive without a 3rd place finish as he is banking on NH. Thompson needs this or his dead. McCain is starting to campaign now in Iowa so should be interesting to see if Thompson can survive. Huckabee's lead is holding on so I expect Huckabee to defeat Romney by at least 5 points. Even if this Bhutto crisis has hurt his foriegn policy stance. Romney can't get a bounce from that and likely it will only benefit McCain and Giuliani.

Iowa Democratic: The battle of the titans. The three frontrunners, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, are in a tight neck and neck race and once the dust clears from this showdown, the race could completely change. Edwards is gaining and Hillary is rising while Obama is slipping. Should this continue, Obama could be severly wounded and Edwards could replace him as the Hillary Alternative. If Hillary wins Iowa its all over, she will lock up the nomination quickly adn we wont even need to tune in to Super Tuesday. Obama realy needs a 1st or 2nd finish here and Hillary can not win or the Democratic nomination race will be done.

New Hampshire GOP: This race is also a 2 man showdown. Mitt Romney and John McCain and we know this will be competitive. Romney began this 2 day ad war that may control the rest of this primary. McCain is rumored to be striking make with negative ads, since Romney already has gone negative. McCain's strategy is relying on his foriegn policy experience and his latest endorsements to swing his way. McCain seemed not interested in getting in Romney's attack battle, but it appears he may be pressured into it. Romney is slipping here and now is neck and neck with McCain and McCain is known for his comebacks in this state. McCain wins here he wil surge to frontrunner status, and Romney will be severly wounded. Giuliani is hoping for at least a 3rd place finish, but Huckabee could surge with a win in Iowa to get 3rd here.

New Hampshire Democratic: This race will likely be decided on Iowa's result. Hillary wins Iowa she wins here. Obama wins Iowa he wins NH. Edwards likely can't comeback to win here but Iowa's momentum can't be underestimated. This state is crucial however to Hillary's startegy. The Former First Lady could be damaged severly if she doesn't win here. Obama needs this state if he loses Iowa. We can't predict anything without any results from Iowa.

Decision 2008: Iowa down to the wire

Now with Christmas over, the candidates are back on the trail fundraising, speaking shaking hands, doing whatever they can to get ready for the First in the Nation contest, the Iowa Caucus. Republicans are neck and neck with new ARG polls suggesting amybe even a 3-way race or vene 4-way between Huckabee, Romney and even Sen. John McCain and Mayor Giuliani. Their polls had Huckabee 23% Romney 21% McCain 17% Giuliani 14%. Congressman Ron Paul scored 10% in the latest poll and Fred Thompson who needs a good showing here fell to 5th at 3%. These polls show a whole new ball game in Iowa. Huckabee must win Iowa now or his campaign will be finished. Romney could survive a loss in Iowa but a 3rd or 4th finish may kill his chances in New Hampshire. McCain if he can score 3rd or 4th or even 2nd he will be a very strong competitor to be reckoned with now with his NH numbers so high. Giuliani isn't expected to score high in any early state so any place would be good for his campaign. We'll stick to out predictions of 1st: Huckabee 2nd: Romney 3rd: McCain 4th: Thompson. These new Iowa polls also show Hillary way out in front in Iowa. If Sen. Clinton wins Iowa she pretty much caps the nomination. The momentum would be in her collumn and thus swing every state her direction. Obama must get organized as he was a month ago and win this caucus. Edwards must also win here, but a win for Edwards is ultimately a win for Hillary. So it comes down to really If Obama and Hillary winning Iowa that shapes the rest of the race.

New American Reserach Group Iowa Polls

Republicans

(R)Huckabee 23%

(R)Romney 21%

(R)McCain 17%

(R)Giuliani 14%

(R)Paul 10%

(R)Thompson 3%

(R)Hunter 2%

(R)Keyes 2%

Democrats:

(D)Clinton 34%

(D)Edwards 20%

(D)Obama 19%

(D)Biden 8%

(D)Richardson 5%

(D)Dodd 2%

(D)Kucinich 2%

(D)Gravel -%

Happy Holidays from Politics-Central

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008! Will be back to posting after Christmas!

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings

Here is the last rankings before the break for the Holidays:

Republicans:

1st: Mike Huckabee (rising) Iowa seems to be leaning his way and now with SC, Michigan, Florida and national polls also in Huckabee's pocket, he once again earns a 1st place from us. Huckabee will be a force to be reckoned with after Iowa. He wins there he will be the frontrunner for the nomination without a doubt.

2nd Tied: Mitt Romney (falling) With his lead in Iowa gone and and his lead in NH down to 3, Romney could very well lose both states and his early state strategy is gone and thus his campaign for president. He needs a win in NH to stay alive. Without it hes gone.

2nd Tied: John McCain (rising) He's BACK!!!!!!!! McCain is now in a dead heat for 3rd in Iowa and a win in NH. With both he can secure Michigan, Nevada and possibly South Carolina. McCain needs a win however in NH. If Romney wins he'll steal the momentum back.

4th: Rudy Giulian (falling) Who would have thought Mike Huckabee would be the frontrunner and Giuliani would be near death in the campaign with less than 11 days left till the Iowa Caucus. Scandals and publicity against Rudy really has hurt him and he will likely now place in the top 4 in any early state, execpt for Florida. He needs Florida, without it he'll do poorly on Super Tuesday.

5th: Fred Thompson (falling) Now in a fight for 3rd in Iowa. Without at least 3rd Fred's out. Thompson now falls to 4th in SC, a must win. I just dont see any possibility Fred can win, so will drop him to 5th.

Democrats:

1st Tied: Barak Obama (rising) Yes for the first time Obama has done and shares the frontrunner spot with Sen. Clinton. Obama may very well win all the early states and crush Hillary in Super Tuesday if he infact wins Iowa. He needs a win in Iowa however. 2nd or 3rd to either Hillary or Edwards would kill his campaign and leave Hillary as the nominee.

1st: Tied: Hillary Clinton (falling) Hillary needs a win in NH or she could be in some trouble. The momentum goes to Obama and he could swing the whole thing in an upset. Clinton is now far from having this locked.

3rd: John Edwards (rising) Edwards could in fact win Iowa and not too many are acknowledge that. Edwards however could ahnd the nomination to Hillary. If he wins Iowa Hillary will surge and Obama will fall. Edwards better back off if he doesn't want Hillary to win.

4th: Bill Richardson (steady) Richardson now thinks he has a shot at the top job instead of Hillary's #2. well better get your eyes examined Bill you have no chance.

5th: Joe Biden (steady) too bad the most experience Democrat running is doing so badly. Sorry Joe you dont have a shot either.

Decision 2008: Primary Predictions

Here are our Predictions for the Primary/Caucus Season

Iowa Caucus
GOP:
1st: Huckabee
2nd: Romney
3rd: McCain
4th: Thompson
5th: Giuliani

Dem:
1st: Obama
2nd: Clinton
3rd: Edwards
4th: Richardson
5th: Biden

NH Primary
GOP:
1st: McCain
2nd: Romney
3rd: Huckabee
4th: Giuliani
5th: Paul

Dem:
1st: Clinton
2nd: Obama
3rd: Richardson
4th: Biden
5th: Kucinich
(Edwards wil be out)

SC Primary
GOP:
1st: McCain
2nd: Huckabee
3rd: Thompson
4th: Romney
5th: Giuliani

Dem:
1st: Obama
2nd: Clinton
3rd: Richardson
4th: Biden
5th: Dodd

Michigan
GOP:
1st: McCain
2nd: Huckabee
3rd: Romney
4th: Giuliani
5th: Paul
(Thompson will be otu)

1st: Clinton
No other Dems.

Decision 2008: Huckabee and McCain on the rise!

Well it seems the GOP listened to me when I said switch to Huckabee and McCain, because the two are going nowhere but up in polls. Recent Iowa polls have Former Governor Mike Huckabee 4-6 points ahead of Former Governor Mitt Romney in the first contest of the 2008 primary season. Sen. John McCain has now trippled in just the past two days his numbers in Iowa. He has gone from 6% to 20% according ARG, but I see him more around 15%. Hes definately in a solid 3rd place as of now, and the Des Moines Resgister Endorsement may have hekped. In New Hampshire McCain has surged from 18% last week to 26% now tied with Romney for the lead in NH. This comes after endorsements from endorsements from the Manchester-Union Leader, the Boston Globe, The Portsmouth Hearld and Sen. Joe Lieberman. McCain certainly has the momentum now, after 3 months of being "dead". I will once again precict a Huckabee win in Iowa and a 3rd place finish for McCain in Iowa, and a Win in NH for Sen. McCain. McCain and Huckabee will likely be the frontrunners, with McCain coming out on top! Just wait and see.

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #43

Sorry about not posting for 3 weeks. Been busy. Ill start posting once the Holidays start. Alot has chnaged since my last rankings. See where we are:

1st: Mike Huckabee (steady) I bet if you told someone 1 year ago Mike Huckabee would be the frontrunner that would have laughed. Now its a reality and a real possibility he could win the nomination. Huckabee leads now in Iowa, SC, Michigan and even Florida!

2nd: Mitt Romney (falling) Losing his lead fast! Romney could be out even before Super Tuesday if somehow Iowa and NH slip from his grasp. New Polls have him slowly gaining on Huckabee, but can he top Huckabee's mounting momentum. Romney better start to sweat.

3rd: John McCain (rising) New Rasmussen Polls have McCain barely trailing Romney 31-27% in NH and now at 14% in Iowa at 3rd place. McCain is also surging quickly and is far from politically dead. I have said it before and Ill say it again McCain will finish well in Iowa and win NH and then the nomination.

4th: Rudy Giuliani (falling) Giuliani now seems to be politically dead. His offices are closing in Iowa and NH, and now Giuliani must rely on winning Florida, a state he is now trailing. Giuliani is also falling in California a big state on Super Tuesday and Huckabee and McCain are gaining. Looks like you all took my advice and starting looking at the best candidates.

5th: Fred Thompson (falling) Thompson needs a 3rd in Iowa and with McCain gaining from the Des Moines Register Endorsement, Thompson may be out before NH. Thompson needs a 3rd just to raise money and keep voters in tact until South Carolina where he's slipped to 4th. I really can't see anyway Fred can win this one. I expect him to drop out and endorse McCain after Iowa.

Democrats

1st: Hillary Clinton (falling) Clinton's lead in all early states is long gone. Her time as frontrunner may be over. She could lose the first 3 contests. She might have to rely also on a win in Florida to win in Super Tuesday. Hillary will likely not be the nominee in January and maybe not even at all.

2nd: Barack Obama (rising) Obama now leads in Iowa and SC. Both could catapult him to knocking Hillary (did I actually say that) out of the race. He win Florida the Former First Lady might be in some real trouble. Obama will likely win Iowa now and maybe NH. Amazing that 3 years ago we didn't even know a Barack Obama.

3rd: John Edwards (rising) Edwards needs to win Iowa and hes only down by single digits. Edwards may surprise us all, but really a win for Edwards is a win for Clinton. That shuts Obama down and leaves her to crush Edwards in NH, SC, FL and Super Tuesday, just like Kerry did in 2004.

4th: Bill Richardson (steady) Richardson needs a win in Nevada and he wont get it so look for him to be applying for Hillary's VP soon.

5th: Joe Biden (steady) Remember this 1 month from now Biden will announce his candidacy for re-election. He's done.

Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings #42

End or the Month Rankings:


Republicans:


1st: Mitt Romney (falling) The beginning of the drop that was expected to happen to Romney is finally happening. Primary Voters and Caucus Goers always take 2nd looks to frontrunners and aren't usually kind. With 49% undecided in Iowa, its anyone's game, and Huckabee is coming on strong.


2nd: Rudy Giuliani (falling) New Iowa polls show Giuliani in a distant 4th and 5th with McCain and Paul even surging ahead. In New Hampshire it seems Giuliani is slowly dropping and may leave it between Romney or McCain. He seems to be relying on a landslide victory in Florida on Jan. 29th, which polls suggest. However will his lead there hold with 4 loses especially if Romney wins them all?


3rd Tied: Mike Huckabee (rising) Huckabee surges ahead in Iowa, according to Rasmussen and that has surged his polls to 3rd and 4th in NH and within striking distance of the lead in South Carolina. If he wins Iowa Huckabee could surprise us all and steal the nomination away.


3rd Tied: John McCain (steady) McCain held a strong performance at the CNN Youtube Debates and recent NH polls show him within striking distance of Romney, howver others show a Romney landslide. That could all change in 1 month. McCain needs a win in NH in order to continue.


5th: Fred Thompson (falling) Fred does get 14% and 15% in Iowa and South Carolina but that still leaves him in a distant 3rd and 4th in both states and his lazy campaign and organization in those states may surge another candidate to win in those states. New Hampshire Polls have him at 2-3% with even Congressman Ron Paul leading him.


6th: Ron Paul (rising) Alot has changed from our last End of the Month rankings. Paul has shot to 6th from 8th. New New Hampshire and other Ealry Contest Polls show him at all time highs of 6-10%. He may make something of this campaign. He wont win the nomination, however he certainly is surprising us all.


7th: Duncan Hunter (steady) Hunter has the experience, but not the poll numbers. He will be another also-ran.


8th: Tom Tancredo (steady) His early state visits have lagged recently and he seems to slowly be abandoning his presidential run for his re-election bid to the U.S. House.


9th: Alan Keyes (falling) He isn't invited to any debats and many forget he was a strong candidate in 2000. If Hunter and Tancredo get to go, Keyes should as well.


10th: John Cox (steady) Making head-way for an Illionis Businessman and a complete unknown with no political experience. Getting on the NH and SC ballots helped, but he didn't comethrough with a debate performance.


Democrats


1st: Hillary Clinton (falling) with Bill's mistakes on the war and flip flops on issues herself Hillary has also been hurt by the voters taking a 2nd look at the frontrunner. Her lead in Iowa has vanished and 3 polls have Obama ahead and Edwards catching. She could survive a 2nd but how would a 3rd place go, which silenced Once Dem. Frontrunner Howard Dean.

2nd: Barack Obama (rising) Obama has come on strong in Iowa, and a win there could give him the momentum needed to win the nomination. Clinton doesn't have the nomination locked up yet. Obama however must win or else its over.

3rd: John Edwards (steady) Still in a close 3rd in Iowa. He was able to pull an upset in Iowa 4 years ago, so he might be able to pull something out of this race.

4th Tied: Bill Richardson (falling) His numbers are poor everywhere, he will likely get 4th places in most states with maybe a few 3rds.

4th Tied: Joe Biden (rising) Biden seems to be coming on strong against Richardson, but way to far from the top. He might have to quit soon to campaign for re-election or go for Secrtary of State.

6th: Chris Dodd (falling) Not making headway anyway. He averages at 1% and could very well come dead last in some primaries and caucuses.

7th: Dennis Kucinich (steady) Kucinich sure is making hype about his campaign, however not enough to win the nomination. He'll finish last erveywhere, well I guess ahead of Gravel.

8th: Mike Gravel (steady) Sure to come in dead last. He isn't invited to anymore debates and no one covers his campaign. Its likely he will not even get 1% in any state.

Decision 2008: CNN Youtube Debate

Once again the CNN Youtube Debates showed how debates should go, but what I wish to talk about right now, instead of saying who won. I want to address what the Republicans want in 2008? I'm sure most of my readers know, I am a Republican always have been always will be, however I'm very dissatified with the Republican field of Presidential Candidates before me. Right now if the primaries were today (Thank Goodness they're not) Mitt Romney would likely be the nominee. Why? Well there I can not tell you. Governor Romney has flipped flopped on every issue, is only a 1 term Governor, and will surely lose the General Election to our worst fears, Hillary Clinton. To prove what I have said, Governor Romney is on record of being Pro-Choice. He did so to win an election. You can't be Pro-Life and win in Massachusetts. You can't be Pro-Choice and win the Republican Nomination for President and thats why he has changed his position. Not because he felt he was wrong about Abortion, but because the Republicans and the Conservatives who will get him elected feel that way. Romney currently trails Sen. Clinton in every General Election poll by 5-10+ margins. That could be a landslide. Romney than decided to switch sides on Gay Rights when he said tonight he isn't for Gays in the military, well he sorta avoided the question. What I found astouding was Romney could not look into the camera and answer any the questions he is acused of flip-flopping on. If he is our nominee Hillary will demolish him in the debates. Now Im not just saying this about Governor Romney. I'm also ashamed this party who has worked so hard for decades fighting against Abortion would make Former NY Mayor Rudy Giulani the leading candidate nationally. Giuliani came out tonight defending thr right to Abortion saying if he had the oppertunity he would not ban it. He also stated he doesn't believe in the words of the Bible entirely. In my opinon the Bible is the Holy Word of the one true God Almighty, and Mayor Giuliani says his word isn't entirely correct. Pat Robertson endorsed this which really steamed me. Robertson supposed is the face of Christian Conservatives. Then how America can Robertson Endorse a man who doesn't totally and absolutely feel the Word of God is correct? Giuliani and his line item veto is a scham. He didn't fight against the veto for justice he did it to protect the billions of dollars of pork and earmarks that got him elected to his position which Sen. John McCain pointed out. Giuliani and Romney say things you want to hear to hide their own selfish ambitions to keep their political careers intact and earn your vote. That is why I renew Politics-Central's Endorsement of U.S. Senator John McCain for President of these United States. I also announce our support of Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Both admirable men who stand by what they believe in and know what they are talking about. Sen. McCain has been in congress for nearly 3 decades, fighting against earmarks and pork which Mayor Giuliani used to filth New York legislation. Huckabee reduced 90 taxes in Arkansas the most of any running for president and in his states history. He held a long time Pro-Life record with John McCain. Both men stand by what they believed in not to get your vote and be in politics, but to fight for what's right. These are the men we need in the General. McCain currently is the only candidate who can beat Sen. Clinton. He is our last hope at keeping the White House. Sen McCain has 2x the experience ins ecurity issues than Mayor Giuliani. He was senator in the persian Gulf and fought in Vietnam. He was the only man to stand by the current successful strategy in Iraq. He proposed what the president is using and is credited as the most successful thing to happen to our stay in Iraq. Come America and the Republican Party. DONT ELECT ROMNEY OR GIULIANI! ELECT MCCAIN OR HUCKABEE. Now I know you ahve your right to your decisions, Im just saying a long time Conservative Republican who is fed of with 2008 politics's opinion.