Decision 2008: Presidential Power Rankings

Here are the complete presidential power rankings including almost every candidate for president in 2008 including 3rd parties. We have started adding steady rising or falling to our rankings. To view other power rankings go http://thenextprez.blogspot.com/ and http://politicalderby.com/powerrankings

Republicans:

1st: John McCain (steady) McCain has for the first time in a month, tied with Rudy Giuliani in nationwide GOP prefernce polls and the two are almost dead even in key early primaries and caucuses. What should start to worry McCain is that he is falling in numbers against democratic challengers. At least every serious democratic candidate has defeated McCain or Giuliani in a poll except for Barack Obama.

2nd: Rudy Giuliani (rising) Giuliani still usually tops GOP preference polls and now is leading or in a tie in key early contests against McCain. Giuliani has also started to fall in numbers against dems and now this election is very close. Giuliani is doing about the same against dems as McCain.

3rd: Newt Gingrich (steady) Gingrich leads Romney in every key state and in nationwide polls and now in some key states he is barely trailing McCain and Giuliani. This might not just be a 2-man race, however it is still uncertain whether Gingrich will actually run. Also Gingrich performs poorly against dems do that might hurt him later.

4th: Mitt Romney (fallling) Romney is steadily falling in key states and nationwide polls and in Iowa and New Hampshire he is in the low singe digits. Romney might actually have to think about running if he continues to perform poorly in polls.

5th: Sam Brownback (steady) Brownback recieved a very poor showing in Iowa which is a do or die state for him. he recieved a dsimal 1%. He didn't even recieve 1% in NH or SC. Brownback still however recieves atleast 3-4% in nationwide polls so he holds on to hos top 5 spot.

6th: George Pataki (steady) Pataki recieves poor ratings out of do or die state for him also. Pataki gets about 2% in NH and 3% nationwide. Pataki has risen from being dead last in polls and you may see him gain in numbers to get to 5th.

7th: Chuck Hagel (rising) Hagel has risen two slots since our last rankings. Hagel recieves a very good showing in Iowa with about 6% almost defeating Mitt Romney. He is also rising in nationwide polls. He could get to #4 slot before the end of Janurary.

8th: Tommy Thompson (steady) Thompson needs to get a good showing in Iowa and now he doesn't even have 1%. If Thompson can get a 2nd or close 3rd in Iowa it might raise momentum for him, but for now he performs quite poorly in most polls averaging 1-2% in nationwide polls.

9th: Jim Gilmore (steady)He has not even recieving a 1% in nationwide polls. He did poorly in new early contest polls and his conservative gaining of votes has yet to come in effect. He needs to concentrate on steaing conservatives from Romney.

10th: Mike Huckabee (steady) He still has done much to say he is running for president except start a PAC. He needs to announce soon or get left behind.

11th: Duncan Hunter (steady) Hunter hasn't even received a rating in a key state and is only about 1% nationwide. He has started campaigning finally and that might help get ahead of the competition, but that is very unlikely.

12th: Tom Tancredo (falling) He hasn't even recieved a 1% in any nationwide polls and because of many of his comments he might not even run for president.

13th: Frank Keating (steady) Keating hasn't been mention yet in any polls or discussions and has just started talking about running while others are starting up their campaigns. He probably won't go far if he does run for president.

Democrats:

1st: Hillary Clinton (falling) Clinton has lost some ground in key state polls and in Nationwide polls. Clinton dropped from a near 20 point lead over Obama to a 13 point lead. This is still a great lead, however new Iowa and NH polls show Obama and Edwards within striking distance of defeating Clinton. Research 2000 polls in Iowa show Obama and Edwards doubling Clinton's results and American Research Group polls show Edwards within stirking distance. In NH She barely leads both Obama and Edwards in both polls. She better start campaigning in those states or she will get left in the dust.

2nd: Barack Obama (rising) New nationwide polls show a recent bounce for Obama and new polls in Iowa and NH show Obama leading or barely trailing Clinton. If Barack Obama announces soon he could get a big enough bounce to take the frontrunner slot.

3rd: John Edwards (rising) Edwards is also gaining in polls in key states. He is the favorite to take Iowa away from Clinton according to new polls and with his announcement he could gain enough steam to lock away Iowa. If he does win there it could give him the momentum to win the rest of the early contests and lock up the nomination. Its a whole new ball game with these new polls.

4th: Al Gore (falling) New polls show Gore recieving single digits in both Iowa and NH. His sterring away from the 08 race have really hurt his chances so look for him not to run for president in 2008.

5th: John Kerry (falling) Kerry also recieves low single digit ratings naitonwide and in Iowa and NH. Kerry easily won both states in 2004 and many thought taht would help him, but it hasn't. Kerry is still considering a run with these poor numbers.

6th: Joe Biden (steady) Biden hasn't changed his position in polls much and is recieving about the smae numbers in key states. He averages about 2% so he probably won't go far.

7th: Wesley Clark (rising) Clark has moved up in positions with gains nationwide and in NH and Nevada. If Clark can get a good showing In NH and win Nevada he could have something to say in this election instead of being an also ran.

8th: Bill Richardson (steady) Richardson hasn't done too much campaigning and that has hurt him a bit. He could just be an also ran if he doesn't kick it in gear.

9th: Dennis Kucinich (steady) New polls show Kucinich doing pretty good for him considering he averaged 1% last time around. Kucinich could help steal votes from Clinton and Obama and if Edwards and him make the same deal like in 2004 in Iowa that could help Edwards carry Iowa.

10th: Tom Vilsack (falling) New polls show Vilsack in 3rd or 4th in his homestate of Iowa. These are not good numbers for him. If he loses Iowa his campaign will be over before it started.

11th: Chris Dodd (steady) Dodd still recieves a last place rating in most polls and has taken away his decision on officially running for president he announced earlier this year says he is still considering.

New Gallup Polls
Democrats
(D)Hillary Clinton 33%
(D)Barack Obama 20%
(D)Al Gore 12%
(D)John Edwards 8%
(D)John Kerry 6%
(D)Joe Biden 3%
(D)Wesley Clark 2%
(D)Bill Richardson 2%
(D)Evan Bayh 1%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%
(D)Chirs Dodd 1%
(D)Dennis Kucinich-%

Republicans
(R)John McCain 28%
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 28%
(R)Condi Rice 12%
(R)Newt Gingrich 8%
(R)Mitt Romney 4%
(R)Mike Huckabee 2%
(R)Sam Brownback 2%
(R)George Allen 2%
(R)Tommy Thompson 2%
(R)Chuck Hagel 1%
(R)George Pataki 1%
(R)Duncan Hunter 1%

Libertarians:

1st: George Phillies (rising) Phillies is already leading the libertarian pack in fund raising and in internet grassroots support. He finally has taken the lead from Steve Kubby.

2nd: Steve Kubby (rising) Kubby still is doing very well and could very well win the Libertarina nomination. He does have strong support from the internet and that doens't come and go like Phillies. Kubby also is known better nationwide by the party while Phillies is more local.

3rd: Christine Smith (steady) Smith is campaigning hard and would like to show off her debating skills against Phillies and Kubby to actually pick up some steam.

4th: Michael Badnerik (steady) It is stilll uncertain whether Badnerik will want to run again after his poor 4% showing in his congressional run after raising over $200,000. It is clear Badnerik can raise the money and would like get the nomination if he ran, but because he hasn't announced yet we will put him at #4.

5th: Robert Milnes (steady) hasn't done too much campaiging and will not likely keep thsi spot.

Also running: Party Activist Lance Brown, Frequent Candidate and Party Chair Jim Burns, Bus driver Dave Hollist, and Comedian Doug Stanhope. These candidates haven't shown too much interest.

Green Party:
1st: Pat LaMarche (steady) LaMarche was the VP candidate in 2004 and recieved 10% of the vote in her gubernatorial run so that gives her some strength, but still hasn't announced.

2nd:Cynthia McKinney (steady) McKinney hasn't mentioned a run for the presidency yet, but if she does she could possibly recieve it since she was held public office as a U.S. Congressman. She may not run and try to regain her seat in congress though.

3rd: Rebecca Rotzler (steady) Rotzler is party activist and could do something, but hasn't said anythign about running and is more of a draft candidate.

Also could run: Frequent Candidate Medea Benjamin, Attorney Nan Garret, and State Party Chair Kat Swift.

Constituition:

1st: Jim Gilchrist (steady) He hasn't announced yet and isn't committed, but is so far leading the small pack in this small party

2nd: Michael Peroutka (steady) He also hasn't become committed and some mention he won't run. he was the '04 nominee and that could help if he should decide to run.

3rd: Alan Keyes (steady) Keyes has ran for some many offices as a republican including so many presidential runs he probably won't run for president for this small party.

4th: Chuck Baldwin (steady) being a pastor and a Radio show host could help him should he decide to run. Also he was the 2004 VP nominee so that could also help him.

5th: Jim Clymer (steady) Clymer is very unknown and if he does run he better really brodcast his name alot.

6th: Jerome Corsi (steady) We really don't have too much info. on this candidate so we wont state anything about her chances.

Prohibition: 2004 nominee Gene Amondson has this small party's nomination locked up since he will likely be the only candidate.

Independents and Write-In Candidates

Strong possible candidates:

(R)Michael Bloomberg: New York City Mayor 8 years (declined)

(Reform/I)Jesse Ventura: Fmr. Minnesota State Governor 4 years

Unity08 has yet to name a candidate, but does promise a 50 state ballot access which could really help a strong independent like Ventura and Bloomberg.

The Strongest Write-Ins

(I)Steve Adams

(I)Bob Hargis

(I)Dan Imperato

(I)Cris Ericson

(I)Rick Williams

(I)Ben Thompson

(I)"Average Joe" Schriner

The rest of the canidates are too minor to exam.

Decision 2008: New polls from the First 4 Contests!

American Research Group has just put together new polls from 4 states. These will be the first 4 contests among the Democrats and Republicans. These are the opposite of Research 2000 polls in Iowa and NH among desm, because it shows Hillary Clinton way out in front. Take a look

American Research Group Polls
Republican New Hampshire Primary Poll
(R)John McCain 29%
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 25%
(R)Newt Gingrich 14%
(R)Mitt Romney 9%
(R)Chuck Hagel 2%
(R)George Pataki 2%
(R)Mike Huckabee 1%
(R)Jim Gilmore 1%
Undecided 17%

Republican Iowa Caucuses Poll
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 28%
(R)John McCain 26%
(R)Newt Gingrich 18%
(R)Mitt Romney 6%
(R)Chuck Hagel 6%
(R)Sam Brownback 1%
Undecided 14%

Republican South Carolina Primary Poll
(R)John McCain 35%
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 28%
(R)Newt Gingrich 15%
(R)Mitt Romney 5%
(R)Mike Huckabee 1%
Undecided 16%

Republican Nevada Caucuses Poll
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 31%
(R)John McCain 25%
(R)Newt Gingrich 22%
(R)Mitt Romney 4%
Undecided 18%

Democratic New Hampshire Primary Poll
(D)Hillary Clinton 27%
(D)Barack Obama 21%
(D)John Edwards 18%
(D)John Kerry 6%
(D)Dennis Kucinich 4%
(D)Wesley Clark 2%
(D)Bill Richardson 2%
(D)Joe Biden 1%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%
(D)Chris Dodd 1%
Undecided 17%

Democratic Iowa Caucuses Poll
(D)Hillary Clinton 31%
(D)John Edwards 20%
(D)Tom Vilsack 17%
(D)Barack Obama 10%
(D)Dennis Kucinich 5%
(D)John Kerry 2%
(D)Joe Bdien 2%
(D)Chris Dodd 2%
(D)Wesley Clark 1%
(D)Bill Richardson 1%
(D)Mike Gravel 1%
Undecided 8%

Democratic South Carolina Primary Poll
(D)Hillary Clinton 34%
(D)John Edwards 31%
(D)Barack Obama 10%
(D)John Kerry 3%
(D)Wesley Clark 2%
(D)Joe Biden 2%
(D)Dennis Kucinich 2%
(D)Bill Richardson 1%
Undecided 15%

Democratic Nevada Caucuses
(D)Hillary Clinton 37%
(D)Barack Obama 12%
(D)John Kerry 9%
(D)John Edwards 8%
(D)Wesley Clark 4%
(D)Chris Dodd 2%
(D)Joe Biden 1%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%
(D)Bill Richardson 1%
(D)Dennis Kucinich 1%
(D)Mike Gravel 1%
Undecided 23%

Decision 2008: Post-Edwards announcement poll.

Rasmussen Reports came out with a new poll stating Edwards's perfromance against GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. It revealed that if election day was today Giuliani would recieve 49% and Edwards would recieve 41%. His numbers have dropped a little from his last comparing with Giuliani.

Here is how the field of candidates for president looks like as of now.
Democrats: Announced, will announce, or has an exploratory committee
U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware) Announced
Fmr. U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-North Carolina) Announced
Fmr. U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) Announced
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) Announced
Governor Bill Richardson (D-New Mexico) To Announce
Governor Tom Vilsack (D-Iowa) Announced
U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) To Announce

Possible Candidates
Fmr. Army General Wesley Clark (D-Arkansas)
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York)
U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts)
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illionis)
Fmr. U.S. Vice President Al Gore (D-Tennessee)

Republicans: Announced, will announce, or as an Exploratory committee
U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) To Announce
Fmr. Governor Jim Gilmore (R-Virginia) Ex. Committee
Fmr. NY City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-New York) Ex. Committee
Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-California) To Announce
U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) To Announce
Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts) Ex. Committee
Fmr. Governor Tommy Thompson (R-Wisconsin) Ex. Committee

Possible Candidates:
Fmr. U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia)
U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska)
Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas)
Fmr. Governor Frank Keating (R-Oklahoma)
Governor George Pataki (R-New York)
Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado)

Look for several candidates to decide whether to run or not in the next 2 months. We should know the field of candidates by Feb. 2007.

Politics-Central officially endorses U.S. Senator John McCain for President in 2008!

Today everyone here at Politics-Central have decided to give our full support to Sen. McCain. We chose McCain because of his seemingly moderate issues. We like most of his ideas and we feel he can work with the Democratic party the best and can work with any politician to get things done. This has never effected our polls, because we decided on this decision yesterday after looking at many candidates. This will not effect our analysis on the presidential race and will not give the senator any extra attention that the other candidates unless a big story comes out about him.

This is our first event while we move into the new election season and new year. We will likely have an interview with a member or leader of his exploratory committee soon. If McCain some how decides not to run for president we will hold off endorsing another candidate for awhile and may not endorse any other candidate.

Decision 2008: John Edwards officially joins the race, Biden to enter later.

Today, Former North Carolina U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee, John Edwards officially announced his candidacy for president of the United States in 2008. Edwards is a major candidate and could perform very well later. The latest polls show him 2nd or 3rd in nationwide polls, tied for 1st in the important Iowa Caucuses, and in 3rd in NH. Edwards can use electability to help him since his main opponents are black and female and there has never been a black or female president. We will continue to watch Edwards and his elecctability factor. In other presidential news Delaware U.S. Senator Joe Biden confirmed what we already new yesterday. He will officially start his presidential campaign in Janurary of next year. Biden has stated that he will likely run for president in 2008 since late 2005 early 2006.

President Gerald R. Ford 1913-2006

Last night at about 10:30 eastern time our 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford passed away at 93 years old. President Ford was became the longest living president ever on November 13th, surpassing President Ronald Reagan's record of 93 years and 121 days. Gerald Ford was the president and vice president to assume the office because of a resignation. President Ford assumed the office during a time of scandal. The watergate scandal left the White House scandal ridden. Ford was left to pick up the pieces and he did preserving the outlook of the white hous and the republic of the United States. Ford is probably most known for giving former president Richard Nixon a full pardon. This was very unpopular at the time and may have costed him reelection analyists say. In recent times Ford was acclaimed as a hero for the pardon. Many felt it was a very courageous move. Gerald Ford left office in 1977 after losing the 1976 campaign to then Former Georgia Governor James (Jimmy) Carter. Ford began living life to the fullest and has he put it "I praise god for every sonrsie I experience". Funeral arrangements are being formed by the Family including Former First Lady Betty Ford. There will likely be services in Ford's home of Michigan and his new home of California. Also the former president will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda for public viewing like every president before has done. His funeral may be very much like Reagan;s back in June of 2004. All of his here wish Betty Ford and the reast of the Ford family the best in this sad time and we ask our viewers to pray for them in the future through this tough time.

Decision 2008: New Polls out of New Hampshire and some Politics-Central news.

Here are some new 2008 President Polls from the first primary in the nation.




Research 2000 New Hampshire Primary Polls
Republicans
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 26%
(R)John McCain 25%
(R)Mitt Romney 10%

Democrats
(D)Hillary Clinton 22%
(D)Barack Obama 21%
(D)John Edwards 16%
(D)Al Gore 10%



These new polls out of NH show a close contest in both parties. Frontrunner Hillary Clinton seem all but unbeatable 2 weeks ago when nationwide polls showed her way out in front. Now key states like Iowa and NH show her numbers are poor. She now barely beats Senators Obama and Edwards and in Iowa Obama and Edwards lead Clinton. On the GOP side McCain has coem down froma last polls showing him way out in fonty in NH and now Giuliani and McCain are almost tied in both NH and Iowa. Romney trails way behind and needs to gain some serios ground. The rest of the candidates do not even get over 2%.

Tommorrow will begin the start of the transition from the 2006 election season to Politics-Central's official start of our 2007-08 election season. We will officially start the new election season on New Years Day, but tommorrow we will start with Politics-Central's official endorsement of one of the possible or official candidate for president in 2008. On New Years Eve we will give power rankings of all of the candidates for president that includes the Third Parties. On New Years Day we will unleash 14 new presidential match-up polls to the internet. On Jan. 2nd we will officially move into the new election season.
(Note: the schedule and events is subjected to change.)

Decision 2008: Presidential Candidate Power Rankings

Here are this weeks power rankings. These rankings have been formed from recent polling and from public support lately for presidential hopefuls. Since this will be the final power ranking before 2007 from us we will rank all the candidates interested in the race.

Republicans:

1st: John McCain-Even though he is falling in some numbers we still believe McCain is the frontrunner because, of his lead among democrats and in Iowa and New Hampshire. Many polls show many different things. Some polls show dems finally defeating McCain and Giuliani and some show the two still beating them in a landslide. McCain will likely gain soon with Giuliani's liberal views coming out. McCain's views about more troops and concern for his age have brought his numbers down, but look for the GOP to go with experience, imstead of fame, because it usually has worked for them.

2nd: Rudolph Giuliani-He is still barely on top in GOP preference polls, but falls slightly behind McCain in Iowa and New Hampshire. Right now McCain leads by double digits in New Hampshire and in Iowa only by one point. Giuliani can't afford to lose either Iowa or NH. Giuliani's liberal views will likely get him into trouble. Fame only goes so far.

3rd: Newt Gingrich-Still beats Romney in polls, but momentum is leaving him fast and should lose this spot soon. Many question whether he will even run. If he does run he will likely become an also ran.

4th: Mitt Romney-He is just starting up a campaign yet and that is probably why he is doing so poorly in polls. Romney might have something to say in early key contests. I feel Romney might be doing better in polls if he had ran for another term as governor.

5th: Sam Brownback-He may have trouble getting conservatives to come to him with Gilmore and Romney likely to run. Brownback needs to show that he is new and unigue if he even wants a shot. Brownback has just started up his campaign so look for him to pick up some steam.

6th: George Pataki-He hasn't been mentioned much yet in the campaign but still fairs well in polls. Pataki better start his campaign soon or he will fall behind.

7th: Tommy Thompson-He has officially started up his exploratory committee and has begun a campaign for president. Thompson needs to start working on Iowa. The only way he can win is in Iowa.

8th: Jim Gilmore-He just was swung back into politics after announcing the start of his exploratory committee. Gilmore is expected to take way conservative support from Romney and that could swing him into the top 5 and in striking distance of the nomination.

9th: Chuck Hagel-He still hasn't stated whether he will run and he likely wont for a while. This seems to be hurting him, because the media doesn't even mention him. He better start soon or risk falling behind.

10th: Mike Huckabee-Huckabee hasn't done much except start a PAC and might nto even run for president. He could decide to steal Sen. Pryor's seat in the senat in 2008 instead of running for president.

11th: Duncan Hunter: He just stated he is candidate on Fox News and has started campaigning in Iowa, NH, and South Carolina. Congressman Hunter seems to be a little threat to the frontrunners, but could gain steam later on.

12th: Tom Tancredo: Still doing po0rly because of comments stated and being poorly known. Tancredo probably won't run for president in 2008.

13th: Frank Keating: We put Keating at the ottom, becuase he has just started thinking about a run fir the White House. He might gain some momentum if he runs soon,but he won't gain too much support if he doesn't

Democrats:

1st: Hillary Clinton-Clinton is still doing well in nationwide polls and polls in NH however the first signs of vulernability have appeared. Clinton performs very poorly in the first contest, the Iowa Caucuses. If she loses Iowa it might be enough to kick her out of the frontrunner spot. We all remember 2004 when Kerry knocked Dean out of his leading spot when he won Iowa, so Dean's fate migth become Clinton's.

2nd: Barack Obama-He has started to fall in nationwide polls, but is performing well in Iowa. He ties with Edwards in Iowa and if he wins there he could gain the momentum to win the nomination. Obama still has a very good chance at the White House, and he can delay on deciding, because he is so popular.

3rd: John Edwards-He has never done well in national polls among Democrats, but for the first time one poll showed Edwards actually beating McCain! This brings hope to his campaign. He could use his electablily factor to gain voters from Obama and Clinton. Edwards also does well in Iowa and if he wins there he could actually become the comeback kid of 2008.

4th: Al Gore-still states he wont run in 2008, but the media still throws his name around and includes him in polls. We will continue to watch Gore and still consider him a possible candidate, but he will likely not run again for the White House in 2008.

5th: John Kerry-He has started to climb slowly back up from his fall back in November, but his comment before the election have proabbly killed his chances of being elected again. I don't expect a comeback Kerry in 2008 like in 2004. Kerry might not even run for president.

6th: Joe Biden-He is officially a candidate for president, btu many don't know it. Biden has started to climb in nationwide polls, but does poorly in key states.

7th: Bill Richardson-Richardson is just starting up his campaign and is starting to move up in rankings especially after Bayh's exit from the race. Richardson is starting to campaign so it is helping his run for the white hosue.

8th: Wesley Clark-He is still unsure about running and is doing poorly in Nationwide polls and polls in NH and Iowa. He better revise his 2004 strategy and actually participate in Iowa. He needs the momentum from a good showing there in order to do well all together.

9th: Tom Vilsack-Vilsack performs terrible in nationwide polls and in polls in his homestate which he was governor of. That is sad. If he cant even win his homestate he should just quit. Many thought Vilsack would take away the importance away from Iowa, but it won't happen.

10th: Dennis Kucinich-Congressman Kucinich has decided to try again for the white house even after his poor showing in 2004. Kucinich needs alot of help if he wants to win and he himself states if probably won't win.

11th: Christopher Dodd-He doesn't even get a 1% in any polls and is dead last in all polls he is included in. Kucincih even beats him in polls. Dodd is probably the biggest longshot of all longshots.

Here are some new poll Match ups from Rasmussen Reports

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 47%

(D)Hillary Clinton 43%

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 46%

(D)Al Gore 43%

Decison 2008: First Polls out of Iowa!

The first polls out of Iowa show that Hillary Clinton can be defeated. McCain barely comes out on top with Giuliani following.

KCCI-TV/Research 2000
Democratic Iowa Causues
(D)John Edwards 22%
(D)Barack Obama 22%
(D)Tom Vilsack 12%
(D)Hillary Clinton 10%
(D)Al Gore 7%
(D)John Kerry 5%
(D)Wesley Clark 4%
(D)Dennis Kucinich 4%

Republican Iowa Caucuses
(R)John McCain 27%
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 26%
(R)Mitt Romney 9%
(R)Newt Gingrich 7%
(R)Condi Rice 4%

No real surprises among Republicans, but a real surprise among Dems. Edwards and Obama are beating Front Runner Hillary Clinton. She doesn't quite have this race locked up. If you recall back to 2004, Kerry's win in Iowa pretty much gave him the nomination. Clinton better hope to do better in NH and South Carolina if she wants to win.

Politics-Central Online Polling: Hall Of Fame.

Here are the past winners of the polls we have conducted here at Politics-Central. Politics-Central was created to advertize our Greatest Governor Poll and it evolved from there. We use Pollhost polls and Imedialearn polls to creats our online polling and then we advertize on Politics1.com in it's comment section and other political websites and blogs.

Hall of Fame

2008 U.S.Presidential Race Polls

2008 U.S. Presidential Poll Winner: John McCain

2008 Republican Presidential Poll Winner: John McCain
2nd place: Chuck Hagel
3rd place: Rudolph Giuliani

2008 Democratic Presidential Poll Winner: Evan Bayh
2008 Democratic Presidential Poll Replacement: John Edwards
2nd place: John Edwards
3rd place: Russ Feingold

2006 Midterm Election Polls

Missouri U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Claire McCaskill
Tennessee U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Bob Corker
Virginia U.S. Senate Poll Winner: George Allen (Webb actually won)
New Jersey U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Bob Menendez
Connecticut U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Ned Lamont (Lieberman actually won)
Maryland U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Ben Cardin
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Bob Casey Jr.
Ohio U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Sherrod Brown
Montana U.S. Senate Poll Winner: Jon Tester
California Governor Poll Winner: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Florida Governor Poll Winner: Charlie Crist
Wyoming Governor Poll Winner: Dave Freudenthal
Wyoming U.S. House Poll Winner: Gary Trauner (Cubin actually won)

Other Polls
Greatest Governor Poll Winner: Mitt Romney
2nd: Jeb Bush

3rd: Kathleen Sebelius

Politics-Central Polls: Bush Job Approval Rating

Over the past month we conducted a poll survey on how the Americans approve of the job George W. Bush has done as president of the United States. 300 people were involved and voted in the poll and here is what they said:

Politics-Central Online Polling: Bush Job Approval
Approve 37%
Disapprove 62%
Not Sure 1%

The people who responded were clear and stated that they disapproved of Bush's handling of the presidency. Bush's presidency only has 2 years left and Bush needs to work hard to get his numbers back up.

Decision 2008: Gilmore joins the Presidential field

Only a month after announcing his interest in the 2008 Presidential race, Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore announced he would form a presidential exploratory committee. Gilmore is only a 1 term governor and has previously served as RNC chairman. Gilmore has yet to be included in any GOP preference polls and early primary polls and only people in or around Virginia actually know who he is. The rest of the United States has not hears of his name. Gilmore might help switch voters in early primaries but shouldn't have too much affect on the campaign. Gilmore has used the past month to separate him form other candidates and show he is conservate but not as conservative as Mitt Romney and as Liberal as Rudy Giuliani. Because of this it makes us think he might be able to move up into the top 5 and could steal conservatives away from Giulinai and McCain and help Romney bring the tow down in polls making them in shooting distance if the nomination. Who knows what will happen, but we will continue to watch Gilmore in his presidential bid.

Decision 2008: New polls from Rasmussen.

Here are some new poll numbers from Rasmussen Reports on the 2008 Presidential Race.

Rasmussen Reports
(R)John McCain 53%
(D)John Kerry 35%

(R)John McCain 51%
(D)Wesley Clark 33%

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 56%
(D)Tom Vilsack 28%

(D)Tom Vilsack 37%
(R)Mike Huckabee 39%

CNN Polls
(R)John McCain 47%
(D)Barack Obama 43%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 49%
(D)Barack Obama 42%

(D)Barack Obama 51%
(R)Mitt Romney 35%

(D)Al Gore 47%
(R)John McCain 46%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 46%
(D)Al Gore 46%

(D)Al Gore 53%
(R)Mitt Romney 37%

L.A. Times Polls
(R)John McCain 50%
(D)Hillary Clinton 36%

(D)Hillary Clinton 42%
(R)Mitt Romney 36%

McCAIN WINS! McCAIN WINS! Politics-Central 2008 Presidential Race Poll Final Results

The results are in and are 4 month presidential poll process has come to an end. Arizona U.S. Senator John McCain has just won the Politics-Central Presidential Poll tonight. McCain might give credit to his win tonight to Evan Bayh's exit from the race. Ever since John Edwards replaced him as the Dem. Poll Nominee John McCain gained momentum and barily won the poll in the final minutes of it. For the past two hours the two hae been going neck and neck and now with our poll closed McCain barily won. John McCain has become Politics-Central's President of the United States.

Politics-Central 2008 Presidential Poll Final Results

(R)John McCain 44.90%

(D)John Edwards 43.88%

(L)Michael Badnarik 7.14%

(I)Steve Adams 1.53%

(G)Pat LaMarche 1.02%

(I)Bob Hargis 0.51%

Other 1.02%

Politics-Central 2008 Presidential Race Poll

Our 2008 presidential race poll is about to end in about 3 hours. Democratic Poll Nominee John Edwards narrowly leads GOP Poll Nominee John McCain by less than a percentage. McCain has come on strong during this finall week of our poll and could still win this poll and become Politics-Central's president of the United States-elect. Libertarian write-in Michael Badnerik has also polled very well recieving about 8%. The other write-ins were Independent Steve Adams, Green Pat LaMarche, and Independent Bob Hargis.

Current Results
(D)John Edwards 44.39%
(R)John McCain 43.85%
(L)Michael Badnerik 7.49%
(I)Steve Adams 1.6%
(G)Pat LaMarche 1.07%
(I)Bob Hargis 0.53%
Other 1.o7%

Decision 2008: John McCain will officially start his presidential campaign in Feburary of 2007!

Arizona U.S. Senator John McCain will officially announce his candidacy for President of the United States this coming Feb. in 2007. He already has formed his presidential exploratory committee http://exploremccain.com/ and is already being considered a candidate by democratic challengers such as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. McCain is a leading contender for the Republican nomination for president. Only Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani can really take down this GOP giant. Giuliani has also formed an exploratory committee. Right now McCain and Giulinai trounce Democratic frontrunners such as Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Al Gore. In other news on the 2008 race, Fmr. U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich will not make a decision about running until next fall which is viewed as a late decision with the earliest contests only two months away from than. Gingrich as of now is in 3rd place trailing Giuliani and McCain by almost 10-15 points.

Here are some new Polls from Rasmussen Reports:

(R)John McCain 49%

(D)Hillary Clinton 44%

(R)John McCain 49%

(D)Al Gore 45%

Politics Central Poll News

Here is some news about our 2008 Presidential Poll. Indiana U.S. Senator Evan Bayh our 2008 Democratic Presidential Poll Winner has Decided to quit the race. I have recieved emails saying to remove him since he will not run for president in 2008 so we have officially removed him from our poll. The 2nd Place Finisher in our poll John Edwards will officially take his palce in the poll against Sen. John McCain who won the GOP poll.

Candidate John Edwards

Age: 53

Occupation: Attorney At Law

Democratc Activist and Party

Fundraiser

Education: Bachelor's Degree from

Clemson University and

N. Carolina State University

Law Degree from University

of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill

Political Experience: U.S. Senator

from North Carolina 1999-2005

2004 Candidate for the Democratic

Nomination for President 2004

Democratic Vice Presidential

Nominee

The Poll will officially close this Tuesday at 11:00 Eastern Time

9:00 Mountain Time.

Politics-Central: 2008 Presidential TOP 5 Power Rankings.

Here are Politics-Central's top 5 power rankings of presidential candidates for this week. Much has changed from our last power ranking. Bayh has quit and Edwards and Kucinich have joined. New polls are out as well.

Republicans

1st John McCain, has steamed back to the #1 slot by barely trailing Giuliani in GOP polls and demolishing Democrats in 2008 Match Up polls. However for the first time a democrat has beaten McCain in a poll. McCain is also strong in key primary states. McCain will likely gain in GOP numbers when Giuliani's liberal views come out. His age though ahs kept him from taking a bigger lead among candidates and has caused him to fall behind Giuliani in GOP polls.

2nd Rudolph Giuliani, still on top in GOP polls but is starting to drop in numbers among democarts against McCain. Once his liberal vies kick in he will fall behind quickly and quietly.

3rd Newt Gingrich, still gaining in GOP polls and is ahead of Romney. Romney will likely gain back numbers upon announcement of his campaign and Gingirch will fall when other candidates join the race.

4th Mitt Romney, is falling in numbers and is in a distance 4th in most polls. He does poorly against Democrats and is big trouble. He needs a announcement buzz in order to get back in this race.

5th Sam Brownback, died down from his announcement that he was running for president and has started to slum in numbers. Brownback may do well in early primaries but is still trailing in polls.

Democrats

1st Hillary Clinton, is still gaining big time in numbers. She will likely form a campaign in janurary of next year. Look for her to also be the candidate to gaint he most from Bayh's exit.

2nd Barack Obama, has taken a huge dip in polls and is trailing Clinton by almost 20+ points. If Obama runs he betetr start now and get a boost with his announcement or he will lsoe for sure.

3rd John Edwards, come back down from his recent bounce and will join the campaign at the very end of the year. He has become the first democrat to beat McCain in a Match Up poll.

4th Al Gore, still considered a possible candidate and has not ruled out a run for the white house. Gore should start his campaign soon if he wants a chance again.

5th: John Kerry, has come back into the top 5 after his pre-election slipshould die out quickly. If he wanted to run you would of thought that he would announced by now.
New Presidential Polls

Current Results Politics-Central Poll
(D)John Edwards 45%
(R)John McCain 43%
(L)Michael Badnerik 8%
(I)Steve Adams 2%
(G)Pat LaMarche 1%
(I)Bob Hargis 1% (Write-In)

Rasmussen Reports Polls
(R)John McCain 46%
(D)Barack Obama 40%

(R)John McCain 46%
(D)John Edwards 41%

(R)John McCain 52%
(D)Evan Bayh 32% Not Running

(R)Rudy Giuliani 51%
(D)Evan Bayh 34% Not Running

Polling Report Polls
(R)John McCain 50%
(D)Hillary Clinton 36%

(D)Hillary Clinton 42%
(R)Mitt Romney 36%

The First time a Democrat has beat McCain in a poll
(D)John Edwards 43%
(R)John McCain 41%

(R)John McCain 48%
(D)Hillary Clinton 41%

(D)Barack Obama 43%
(R)Mitt Romney 27%

Democratic Polls from Polling Report
(D)Hillary Clinton 37%
(D)Barack Obama 18%
(D)John Edwards 14%
(D)John Kerry 11%
(D)Joe Biden 4%
(D)Evan Bayh 3%
(D)Bill Richardson 2%
(D)Tom Vilsack -%

(D)Hillary Clinton 39%
(D)Barack Obama 17%
(D)John Edwards 12%
(D)Al Gore 10%
(D)John Kerry 7%
(D)Joe Biden 2%
(D)Bill Richardson 2%
(D)Wesley Clark 1%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%
(D)Evan Bayh 1%
(D)Chris Dodd -%

(D)Hillary Clinton 37%
(D)Barack Obama 15%
(D)Al Gore 14%
(D)John Edwards 9%
(D)John Kerry 7%
(D)Joe Biden 2%
(D)Bill Richardson 2%
(D)Wesley Clark 2%
(D)Evan Bayh 1%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%

Republican Polls from Polling Report
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 34%
(R)John McCain 29%
(R)Newt Gingrich 10%
(R)Mitt Romney 8%
(R)Sam Brownback 2%
(R)Mike Huckabee 2%
(R)George Pataki 1%
(R)Tommy Thompson 1%

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 34%
(R)John McCain 26%
(R)Newt Gingrich 12%
(R)Mitt Romney 5%
(R)George Pataki 3%
(R)Tommy Thompson 2%
(R)Sam Brownback 1%
(R)Duncan Hunter 1%
(R)Chuck Hagel -%
(R)Mike Huckabee -%
(R)Tom Tancredo -%

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 29%
(R)John McCain 24%
(R)Newt Gingrich 13%
(R)Mitt Romney 6%
(R)Sam Brownback 2%
(R)George Pataki 2%
(R)Tommy Thompson 2%
(R)Duncan Hunter 1%


Polling Averages
Republicans
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 32%
(R)John McCain 26%
(R)Newt Gingrich 12%
(R)Mitt Romney 6%
(R)Sam Brownback 2%
(R)George Pataki 2%
(R)Tommy Thompson 2%
(R)Duncan Hunter 1%
(R)Mike Huckabee 1%
(R)Chuck Hagel -%
(R)Tom Tancredo -%

Democrats
(D)Hillary Clinton 38%
(D)Barack Obama 17%
(D)John Edwards 12%
(D)Al Gore 12%
(D)John Kerry 8%
(D)Joe Biden 3%
(D)Evan Bayh 2%
(D)Bill Richardson 2%
(D)Wesley Clark 1%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%

(D)Chris Dodd -%

Decision 2008: Edwards jumps in, Bayh unexpectedly quits

Today Former North Carolina U.S. Senator and 2004 Dem. Vice Presidential Nominee John Edwards finished plans of entering the 2008 race for the White House. His advisors stated he will enter the race formally between Christmas and New Years. Edwards is a top contender for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. He is as of now in our 3rd place slot. Indiana U.S. Senator. Evan Bayh has officially decided not to enter the race for president only two weeks after forming a presidential exploratory committee. Bayh decided to quit after Illionis Senator Barack Obama started considering a race and putting the spotlight in him. Advisors said it would be almost impossible to beat Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Look for Bayh to consider a 2012 run for the White House and remain in the senate. I doubt many will get a bounce from Bayh's announcement not to run for the White House.

Tim Johnson in critical condition.

We are going to take a place in this blog to ask viwers go pray for the health and well being of Senator Tim Johnson who yesterday suffered stroke like symptoms and is in critical condition. We also ask for prayer for his family and all of the thoughts here at Politics-Central go out to them. If Johnson does step down the decision of his replacement going to Republican Governor Mike Rounds who would likely select a Republican shifting control of the senate to a 50/50 tie and since Vice President Dick Cheney make the tie votes the control of the senate would go back to the Republicans. I do want the republicans to take back the senate but not by death or by a resignation. The voters have spoken and they wanted change so the Democrats should hold on to control of the senate. The GOP shouldn't try to get back the senate by Johnson's illness but should try and get in back in 2008.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to run for president in 2008! Kucinich will make another bid for the White House!

Massachusetts State Governor, and winner of our Greatest Governor Poll, Mitt Romney has stated he will file paperwork to form a presidential exploratory committee which means he is pretty much a candidate for president in 2008. Many feel the Romney's conservative views can swing voters away from Moderately viewd frontrunner John McCain and Liberal frontrunner Rudolph Giuliani. Romney right now is in fourth in our standings with Newt Gingrich's small rise in polls, however Gingrich might not even run. If Gingrich does withdraw his name from consideration, Romney will recieve the largest boost in support. Romney also has strong numbers in key primaries like NH and Iowa. Romney might also be a strong contender for vice president if not selected as the presidential candidate of the republicans. Ohio U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich has stated he will run for president again because of the ineffectiveness of democrats in congress to remove troops from Iraq. In his 2004 campaign Kucinich ranged from 1-3% in key early primaries and never made a strong enough difference to effect the outcome of a primary. Kucinich has stated with his peace views in Iraq and the impopularity for the war in Iraq he can get elected president. Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd stepped back a bit on his campaign. He said he would to everyhting neccessary to make a presidential bid and now he says he is considering a run. Politics-Central will keep him on our list of announced candidates until he decides that he wont run for president.

Here are some 2008 Presisdential Match-Up Polls from Rasmussen

(D)Hillary Clinton 48%

(R)Mitt Romney 40%

(D)Al Gore 48%

(R)Mitt Romney 39%

(D)John Kerry 47%

(R)Newt Gingrich 38%

(D)Al Gore 52%

(R)Newt Gingrich 36%

Decision 2008: Some New Polls, GOP contenders beat Democrats.

Here are some new polling data about the 2008 Race for the White House!

General Election Match-Ups from Polling Report Polls were done by Fox News and WNBC/Marist Poll. Rasmussen Reports also contributed.

(R)John McCain 48%

(D)Hillary Clinton 40%

(R)John McCain 49%

(D)Barack Obama 30%

(R)John McCain 53%

(D)John Kerry 36%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 48%

(D)Hillary Clinton 39%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 46%

(D)Barack Obama 35%

(R)Rudy Giuliani 51%

(D)John Kerry 37%

(D)Hillary Clinton 50%

(R)Newt Gingrich 41%

(D)Barack Obama 48%

(R)Newt Gingrich 38%

(D)Barack Obama 47%

(R)Mitt Romney 38%

(D)John Edwards 50%

(R)Mitt Romney 37%

Politics-Central Poll News: The Poll will officially close on Tuesday December 19th, 2006 12 eastern time.

Current Results

(D)Evan Bayh 46%

(R)John McCain 41%

(L)Michael Badnerik 8%

(I)Steve Adams 2%

(G)Pat LaMarche 1%

(I)Bob Hargis 1%

Other 1%

Decision 2008: Will Richardson run? Sebelius, Napolitano, Schweitzer Bredsesn out.

New Mexico State Governor Bill Richardson said with in an interview with Fow News that he was running (for president) and has said he will form a presidential explorartory committee in Jan. of 2007. Governor Richardson's advisors tood the press he wasn't in the race yet but is looking in to it. Governor Richardson polls poorly against Frontrunner Hillary Clinton and her main challengers, Obama, Gore and Edwards. Four other Democratic governors put a close to a 2008 run for the White House. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius said that 2008 is a perfect oppurtunity for a democrat to be elected president. However she has states she is not that democrat. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has said no to an expected run but she said she would consider a later run for the White House. Two other governors put a close to their expected presidential runs. Popular Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer said it wasn't the right time and he had more work to do in Montana than make a presidential bid. He also did not rule out a 2012 0r 2016 run for the White House. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen who had been acting as a possible contender also said no to a run for the White House in 2008. Bredesen said he would support the nominee but would not run as the nominee in 2008.

Politics Central Top 5 rankings!

Here are our top 5 presidential power rankings

Republicans:

1st(tied):Rudolph Giuliani, Still on top of McCain in GOP preference polls, and gaining in nationwide numbers as well. Giuliani is trailing McCain against democratic challengers and in the all-important New Hampshire Primary by double digits.

1st(tied):John McCain, Trailing Giuliani among the GOP still but will likely pull ahead int he weeks to come. He has now set up a team and will officially announce his candidacy in Jan of 2007. McCain is still doing better against Democratic candidates and in key primaries so that gives him the tie with Giuliani as the GOP frontrunners.

2nd: Newt Gingrich, has started to pass Romney in polls and is performing better than Romney in key states. Gingrich's small surge in numbers is ending and he will likely start to fall without any mention of him anywhere.

3rd: Mitt Romney, is currently falling in poll numbers both among GOP and against Dems. The new rising star Sam Brownback will also start to surge ahead of him and gain his momentum.

4th: Sam Brownback, has officially stated he will run for president and has formed an exploratory committee. This has given him a surge and could start going ahead of Romney and Gingrich, but will likely never even come close to the big GOP two.

5th: Chuck Hagel, In recent polling Hagel has started to surge ahead of Thompson, Huckabee and Pataki and the grassroots movements are starting to emerge. I feel Hagel is still a minor candidate, but is gaining. His average in polls right now is 3%, however in our poll he recieved 19%.

Democrats:

1st: Hillary Clinton, is rising and rising in polls and it seems no one can catch her. She defeats her nearest challenger by 15-20 points doubling their support. This huge surge maybe because of the buzz of her actually considering a bid and hiring a fundraiser. However her surge could end quickly and maybe if Al Gore jumps into the race she will fall in numbers, but as of now she is unbeatable.

2nd: John Edwards, has won back the 2nd place spot by now tieing or even beating Barack Obama in many new polls. Edwards is enjoying a small surge but is not enough to catch Clinton. He may have to settle for the VP slot again.

3rd: Barack Obama, he is currently falling in support since his announcement of interest in the 2008 race. He was in striking distance if Clinton and may have almost topped her, however he had taken a 10 point dip and has fallen behing Gore and Edwards in one poll. He still is in the race to be the alternative to Clinton but it looks like Edwards may take that away from him.

4th: Al Gore, Still hasn't completely ruled out a 2008 run but it is unlikely that he will run for president. If he ever does jump in look for it to be late in the campaign maybe even after NH and Iowa. Gore is now almost defeating Obama and if he does ruin he will surge ahead of Edwards and Obama and become the only alternative to Clinton.

5th: Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, John Kerry share the 5th spot with the three neck and neck with each other in polls and Kerry's falling in polls since his pre-election slip.

New 2008 Presidential Election Polls from Polling Report:

Democratic Polls
(D)Hillary Clinton 33%
(D)Barack Obama 12%
(D)Al Gore 11%
(D)John Edwards 8%
(D)John Kerry 6%
(D)Evan Bayh 2%
(D)Joesph Biden 2%
(D)Tom Vilsack 2%
(D)Wesley Clark 1%
(D)Bill Richardson 1%

(D)Hillary Clinton 53%
(D)Al Gore 36%

(D)Hillary Clinton 52%
(D)Barack Obama 30%

(D)Hillary Clinton 33%
(D)John Edwards 14%
(D)Al Gore 13%
(D)Barack Obama 12%
(D)John Kerry 5%
(D)Joe Biden 3%
(D)Bill Richardson 1%
(D)Evan Bayh 1%
(D)Wesley Clark 1%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%
(D)Al Sharpton -%
(D)Chris Dodd -%

Republcian Polls

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 30%
(R)John McCain 23%
(R)Newt Gingrich 9%
(R)Mitt Romney 8%
(R)Sam Brownback 3%
(R)George Pataki 2%
(R)Duncan Hunter 1%
(R)Chuck Hagel -%

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 42%
(R)John McCain 40%

(R)John McCain 59%
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 14%

(R)Rudolph Giuliani 24%
(R)John McCain 23%
(R)Condi Rice 15% Not Running
(R)Newt Gingrich 8%
(R)Mitt Romney 4%
(R)Bill Frist 3% Not Running
(R)Chuck Hagel 2%
(R)Tommy Thompson 1%
(R)Mike Huckabee 1%
(R)Tom Tancredo 1%
(R)George Pataki 1%
(R)Sam Brownback -%

Polling Averages

Democrats
(D)Hillary Clinton 33%
(D)Barack Obama 12%
(D)Al Gore 12%
(D)John Edwards 11%
(D)John Kerry 6%
(D)Joe Biden 3%
(D)Evan Bayh 2%
(D)Tom Vilsack 2%
(D)Bill Richardson 1%
(D)Wesley Clark 1%
(D)Chris Dodd -%
(D)Al Sharpton -%

Republicans
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 27%
(R)John McCain 23%
(R)Newt Gingrich 9%
(R)Mitt Romney 6%
(R)Sam Brownback 3%
(R)George Pataki 2%
(R)Chuck Hagel 2%
(R)Tommy Thompson 1%
(R)Mike Huckabee 1%
(R)Tom Tancredo 1%

Decision 2007: A look at Kentucky

We here at Politics-Central are going to take a twist amd step away from the 2008 Presidential Race and use blog space to anaylize the 2007 Gubernatorial Races.

Kentucky Governor Race

GOP Incumbant Ernie Fletcher has announced he will seek another term as governor. With Fletcher's low approval ratings and with the rising momentum since their November victory Democrats see this as a easy pick-up.

The Candidates and Possible Candidates

Republicans
(R)Ernie Fletcher-State Governor, Ex. U.S. Congressman,Ex. State Rep.
(R)Anne Northup-Out going U.S. Congressman,Ex. State Rep.
(R)Steve Pence-Lt. Governor, Ex. U.S. Attorney
(R)Dan Seum-State Senator
(R)Lonnie Napier-State Rep.

Democrats
(D)Steve Henry-Ex. Lt Governor, '98 U.S. Senate Candidate
(D)David Boswell-State Senator, Ex. State Agriculture Commissioner
(D)Juilian Carrol-State Senator, Ex. Governor, Ex. Lt. Governor, Ex. State House Speaker
(D)Gatewood Galbraith-Attorney
(D)Brereton Jones-Ex. Governor
(D)Terry McBrayer-Ex. State House Speaker

(D)Jonathan Miller-State Treasurer

(D)Dan Mongiardo-State Senator

(D)Jody Richards-Ex. State House Speaker

Gov. Fletcher faces a number of possible opponents for his job and he might even lose his job in the primary. Congressman Anne Northup who narrowly lost her seat last month might want to jump back into politics and oppose Fletcher. Lt. Governor Steve Pence decided not to seek reelection and this might be a key sign that he wants to jump in. Pence and Northup could use Fletcher's likelyhoods of losing against a democrat to give them the nomination. I doubt Northup will run and if she does, because of her '06 loss she will lose big time in 2007. Democratic fmr. Lt. Governor is my best bet to oust Fletcher. Fmr. Governor Jones and State Treasurer Miller might also have a good shot at winning. I really feel any democrat has a shot at winning.

Overall Prediction: Very Slight GOP hold

Later we will anaylize Louisiana.

Decision 2008: Brownback takes first step.

Kansas U.S. Senator Sam Brownback has filed paperwork to form an exploratory committee for a possible White House run. Brownback has been specutating a possible run since 2004 and has been visiting key stated like Iowa and New Hampshire countless times. He has really hit Iowa hard hoping to win there in 56 weeks. More polling data is out on the Presidential Race of 2008 from Rasmussen and here are what they say.

Rasmussen Reports


Republican Primary
(R)Rudy Giuliani 31%
(R)John McCain 22%
(R)Newt Gingrich 14%


Democratic Primary
(D)Hillary Clinton 34%
(D)Barack Obama 17%
(D)Tom Vilsack 1%


General Election Match-Ups
(R)John McCain 48%
(D)Hillary Clinton 44%


(R)Rudy Giuliani 48%
(D)Hillary Clinton 43%

Hillary Clinton is down since last polling when she was tied with Giuliani and stands about the same against McCain. What is surprising is that Giuliani has 5 point lead over Clinton while McCaiin only has a 4 point lead. Also Giuliani is up in Primary polls but these are the first to show Giuliani with such a wide lead. Most show McCain and Giuliani neck and neck. Mitt Romney wasn't even included this time which is sad.

Decision 2008: Clinton and Kerry are getting close to a decision and Daschle quits

The 2008 Presidential Race is really heating up. Fmr. U.S. First Lady, New York U.S. Senator and Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton is stepping up her schedule and could form an exploratory committee as early as the end of the year. She is also going to make early trips to New Hampshire and Iowa by the end of 2006 and early 2007. Her associates tell the press she will make a decision in the coming weeks. She has formed a team to look into a presidential bid. If she does run it is in our opinon that she will likely recieve the Democratic nomination becoming the first serious woman candidate for president and the first to recieve the nomination from one of the two big parties. Massachusetts U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic Presidential Nominee, John Kerry has taken his time in deciding on running for president. Before his slip right before the elections many thought he would of announced by now , but some feel he might not run at all. His staff told the press he will also sit down and decide in early 2007. Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has officially stated he will not make a presidential bid in 2008. He has performed like a possible contender since his reelection defeat in 2004. He has now said no to that idea probably becuse he was a very minor candidate and probably couldn't win.

Decision 2008: More on Bayh's entrance.

Indiana U.S. Senator Evan Bayh (D) has decided to take that first step towards running for president in 2008 by announcing he will be forming a presidential exploratory committee. He will officially start his committee while making campaign trips into Iowa and New Hampshire. Iowa Governor and 2008 Presidential Candidate officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic Nomination for President Thursday. Illionis U.S. Senator Barack Obama was on the Tonight Show and said more about his possible bid for President and now more and more peolpe want him to run. New York U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton has stayed out if the public eye ever since the Democratic victory last month so the people will think more about the Democratically controlled congress than her running for president, however she is putting together a political army for a possible '08 run for the White House. As the field takes shape we will be there every step of the way.

Decision 2008: Candidate Ratings and Bayh decides to jump in!

As of now here are the Politics-Central Presidential Contenders standings and the list of current candidates running.

Republican Candidates who have stated they will run or are likely to announce in a month or have filed for a exploratory committee.
(R)Arizona U.S. Senator John McCain (Exploratory Committee)
(R)Fmr. New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (Exploratory Committee)
(R)Fmr. Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson (Exploratory Committee) (R)California U.S. Congressman Duncan Hunter (Exploratory Committee)
(R)Kansas U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (To Announce Intention)

Evan Bayh has announced he will form a Presidential Exploratory Committee. You all should know him as the Politics-Central Dem. Presidential Poll winner and representative of the Democrats in our General Election Poll. He is the current front runner to become Politic-Central's President of the United States.

Democratic Candidates who have stated that they will run, announced, will announce soon or have filed for a exploratory committee.
(D)Delaware U.S. Senator Joe Biden (Announced)
(D)Conn. U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (Announced)
(D)Iowa State Governor Tom Vilsack (Announced)
(D)Fmr. Alaskan U.S. Senator Mike Gravel (Announced)
(D)Fmr. N. Carolina U.S. Senator John Edwards (To Announce)
(D)Indiana U.S. Senator Evan Bayh

Here are my Complete Ratings for All of the Possible Contenders

Republicans

1st: John McCain, I believe Senator McCain has recieved a boost in polls and has almost caught up to Giuliani in GOP polls. He recieves far better numbers in General Election Poll Match-Ups with Democrats giving him our #1 slot in the GOP. Look for his numbers to continue to grow as the campaign continues and upon his official announcement. Also McCain defeats Giuliani in the all important New Hampshire Primary by double digits.

2nd: Rudolph Giuliani, recieves better numbers among the GOP, but stumps to McCain in nationwide polls. His liberal views have will also cause so lack of support. I still view Giuliani's popularity will drop. Like I said Giuliani also trails McCain in New Hampshire.

3rd: Mitt Romney, Romney recieves very poor nationwide polls and come in a distant third in GOP Polls including NH. Romney is still deciding, but I think he isn't going to do well if he doe decide to win and look for one of the other candidates to replace him in this third place spot. Right now he is the alternative to McCain and Giuliani. Romney might gain support with Frist's withdrawal.

4th: Newt Gingrich, rising in support and should take Romney's slot soon. He also has poor numbers to front runners Giuliani and McCain and he mignt not even run if McCain and Giuliani run and there is a 90% chance they will so I don't look for Gingrich to run. He might toy with the idea since he is in 4th and 3rd places in polls, but will ultimately decide not to run. He might also gain with Frist's withdrawal

5th: Sam Brownback, will announce here soon and is gaining in numbers, but should fall with Tommy Thompson's entrance into the race. Look for Brownback to fall apart in the campaign and not go far. Brownback will also likely gain the most momentum with Frist's withdrawal.

6th: Tommy Thompson, With his entrance into the race he has stirred some momentum, but he will likely lose this support with Frist's withdrwal and look for that to hurt his campaign.

7th: Mike Huckabee, Not even mentioned in most polling and hasn't been heard from in much of the early campaigning season. Huckabee might get boost in southern states with Frist gone, but most look like they will benefit from Frist's withdrwal.

8th: Chuck Hagel, also hasn't been heard from, but has said he will be making a decidon soon.

9th: Duncan Hunter, His announcement surprised many since no none one has heard of him, but he is recieving some numbers.

10th: Tom Tancredo, has come under alot of fire for his Florida 3rd world comment and that has really hurt his standings.

11th: George Pataki, dead last in most polls I don't think Pataki should even try.

12th: Jim Gilmore, still questioning a possible he will not likely run so I put him dead last. If he does run he will be moved to 6th 7th or 8th depending on how he stands in polls. So far no polling data has included him.

Democrats

1st: Hillary Clinton, is surprisingly rising and Obama falling she still holds double digit leads in early primaries and nationwide. She trails badly against Giuliani and McCain though, but most do. If she wants the Democratic Nomination I believe it is hers. She still is the one to beat.

2nd: Barack Obama, has fallen in numbers since he announced his interest in this race. It is hard to believe that year ago no one would of thought of him as a presidential contender until 2012 and 2016. He still is a top contender, but trails Clinton by double digits and is way behing Giuliani and McCain. The good news is he has taken the 2nd place spot well away from John Edwards and Al Gore.

3rd: John Edwards, is gaining in numbers and has taken the 3rd place spot from Al Gore. He is now leading Gore in some polls and is gaining against Obama and Clinton. He is doing extremely well against McCain and almost as well against Giuliani. He is the only one that can actually take on the big GOP two as well call them McCain and Giuliani.

4th: Al Gore, hasn't quite yet totally ruled out a presidential run in 2008 and if he does run it will be very late in the game, but he will recieve a big bounce. I think democrats will give this guy another chance since more people voted for him in 2000 to be their president. I also believe something inside of him really wants another shot as well. If he does not run in 2008 look for him to run in 2012 and maybe if he is still up to it 2016, but I doubt it.

5th: Wesley Clark, will likely make an announcement soon and is gaining numbers and could be possibly a force to concerned about.

6th: Evan Bayh, with his announcement of an exploratory commitee and the withdrawal of Feingold and Warner he might recieve a boost, but he is very unknown outside of his small state of Indiana.

7th: Bill Richardson, is also very unknown outside of New Mexico and wouldn't perform well if he ran.

8th: Joseph Biden, better be soon gaining in number sor he will find this to be his old presidential bid.

9th: John Kerry, His blunder about soilders in Irag right before the election caused him to become dead last in the 20 most influential leaders poll and has caused him to go from the top 5 to 9th or tenth.

10th: Tom Vilsack, his announcement bounce died out and he is not even doign well in his homestate of Iowa. He shouldn't go far.

11th: Christopher Dodd, No one really knows that he officially is a candidate for president and he is always dead last in polls so he wont even make it past NH.

12th: Dennis Kucinich, finished last in the 2004 primaries and is not even included in polls he should do as well as last time.

13th: Tom Daschle, won't run so he is at the bottom. Also his 2004 defeat wouldn't look good in November of 2008.

14th: Mike Gravel, I bet only 1 out of evry 50 people know who he is and he isn't included in polls also so he won't do well. He is dead last in out ratings and will stay that way most likely.

That is all for my ratings.

Independent Bob Hargis has been added to our poll!