Absolutely!
NO!
Damn right he can.
=============================================
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) — Ayotte, who is up for re-election in 2016, is already being discussed as a vice presidential pick.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) — Tea Party favorite has said she might run again in 2016.
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour — Barbour is well liked by the GOP establishment and was included in a Republican National Committee straw poll in January.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) — Blackburn denied a report she is mulling a bid.
John Bolton — The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is leaving the 2016 door open.
Scott Brown — Brown is the underdog in his race against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
Jeb Bush — Bush fatigue would be a significant obstacle for the former Florida governor.
Herman Cain — Jon Stewart prayed on the air that Cain would run again.
Ben Carson: — Carson is a rising star in the GOP.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — Bridge-gate hasn’t deterred Christie, who sounds like he’s going to be a candidate.
Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) — Tea Party star must convince kingmakers that he can beat Clinton.
Mitch Daniels — The ex-governor of Indiana decided against running in 2012 because of family concerns.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin — The former House member is in the mix of speculation.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam — He says he’s not interested in running.
Newt Gingrich — The 2012 presidential candidate and ex-Speaker might run again. Asked by Fox News’s Greta van Susteren about throwing his hat in the ring, Gingrich responded, “Ask me that in January of 2015.â€
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — Haley is always mentioned as a possible candidate.
Mike Huckabee: — Huckabee’s poll numbers are quite good. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — The former House member knows policy inside and out, but he would have to stand out amid the many personalities that will be on the 2016 stage.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich — Will Kasich and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman both run? Regardless, Ohio is a must win for the GOP in 2016.
Rep. Pete King (N.Y.) — A frequent critic of Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.).
Rep. Steve King (Iowa) — A kingmaker in Iowa and a hard-liner on immigration.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez — The first female Hispanic governor is not expected to run for president. But she will be a leading vice presidential candidate.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) — She has a bright future, though a presidential run in 2016 probably isn’t in the cards.
Sarah Palin — The RNC put her in its straw poll, but most think the former Alaska governor will remain on the sidelines.
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) — Paul, who is up for reelection in 2016, looks like a sure bet to run for president. Of all the possible 2016 GOP hopefuls, Paul has arguably had the best 2014.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence — Pence is a dark horse who shouldn’t be overlooked. The former House member was Tea Party before the Tea Party existed and is well respected by social and fiscal conservatives.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry — Comebacks are common in politics, but can Perry pull it off? He has two things going for him: The border crisis has put him front and center on the national stage, and the right has rallied behind him in the wake of his indictment in Texas.
Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) — Portman, who is up for reelection in 2016, is headed to New Hampshire next week.
Condoleezza Rice — The former secretary of State routinely comes up in this conversation, but the chances of a Rice bid are remote.
Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.) — The retiring House member and soon-to-be talk-radio host hasn’t ruled out a run. Mitt Romney — The rumors of another Romney run continue to persist.
Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) — Rubio will have to decide whether to run for president or reelection in 2016. As he said, “you can’t be on the ballot for two different offices†in Florida.
Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) — He seems more intent on becoming Ways and Means Committee chairman than running for president.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval — It’s more likely that Sandoval would challenge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in 2016.
Rick Santorum — The former Pennsylvania senator is being overlooked in the 2016 race. He did, after all, win the Iowa caucus in 2012.
Joe Scarborough — The host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe†is certainly eyeing a return to public office. Will it come sooner or later?
Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) — He probably won’t run but will be discussed as a possible No. 2 on the ticket.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder — He faces a challenging reelection race in November.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.) — Thune nearly ran in 2012, and he has more than $9.5 million in his campaign war chest.
Donald Trump —Trump might run, but don’t bet on it.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — Walker first has to win reelection this year.
Allen West — The former congressman from Florida is mulling a bid.
Cruz must be climbing in the polls. CNN just did a Trump like hit piece on him. Welcome to the big leagues Ted.
.
Who makes up the USA Power Rankings group survey? From an earlier posting of the topic:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3366771/posts
Snip
They fail to reveal just who it is that is “voting” in their obviously closed “survey,” either.
Participants in USA TODAY’s GOP Power Rankings:
Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican pollster and author of The Selfie Vote
Henry Barbour, Republican strategist, Mississippi
Paul Brathwaite, principal, Podesta Group
Dianne Bystrom, director, Center for Women and Politics, Iowa State University
Herman Cain, talk show host and former GOP presidential candidate
Maria Cardona, Democratic strategist and CNN Commentator, The Dewey Square Group
Frank Donatelli, former RNC deputy chairman and Reagan advisor
Sara Fagen, partner, DDC Advocacy
Peter Fenn, Democratic political strategist, Fenn Communications
Denise Feriozzi, deputy executive director, EMILY’s List
Karen Floyd, CEO, The Palladian Group and former South Carolina GOP chair
Aaron Ghitelman, communications manager, HeadCount
Andra Gillespie, polling analyst and political science professor, Emory University
Nathan L. Gonzales, editor, The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report
Lilly J. Goren, political science and global studies professor, Carroll University
Doug Gross, Iowa attorney and previous Republican gubernatorial nominee
O. Kay Henderson, news director, Radio Iowa
Ken Khachigian, senior partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Carl Leubsdorf, Washington columnist, The Dallas Morning News
Deb Lucia, Topeka 912 – the Capital City Tea Party
Matt Mackowiak, Republican consultant and president, Potomac Strategy Group, LLC
Dan Maffei, former Democratic congressman, New York
Phil Musser, chairman, IMGE digital media agency
Margie Omero, Democratic pollster, Purple Insights
Jon Ralston, host, “Ralston Live†on PBS affiliates in Nevada
Craig Robinson, founder and editor, TheIowaRepublican.com
Alan Rosenblatt, Ph.D., Sr. VP of digital strategy, turner4D
Dante Scala, political science professor, University of New Hampshire
Adam Sharp, head of news, government and elections, Twitter
Alex Smith, national chairman, College Republicans
Todd Spangler, Washington correspondent, Detroit Free Press
Kathy Sullivan, DNC committeewoman and former Democratic Party chair, New Hampshire
