Free Republic

A question I often am asked is: "Who would you bet on to win the presidency?" Personally, I don't bet on politics, but here's my current take on the 2016 presidential race—with, of course, the caveat that we don't know which campaigns will turn out the best in terms of organization, strategy, tactics, or execution, much less which candidates will step on land mines along the way. The Democratic nomination appears fairly straightforward. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now the prohibitive favorite. If her early stumbles during her book tour, or remarks like the one she made about...

DES MOINES — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz risked the ire of Iowa farmers by staking out free-market positions on two federal policies favored by agribusiness at a summit Saturday. The two likely Republican presidential candidates opposed an ethanol requirement favored by corn farmers as well as a wind tax credit in a state where more than a quarter of electricity is generated by wind. They were speaking at the Iowa Ag Summit, which was organized by the state’s largest Republican donor, Bruce Rastetter, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Most of the...

The battle for the Republican presidential nomination is beginning to really heat up. The latest log on the fire? Texas has decided to move its 2016 primary to March 1, making it the fifth state to cast votes. Traditionally, small states hold their primaries before the larger ones. This allows candidates to focus on persuading target groups of voters and gain momentum before facing the daunting challenge of wooing the masses. Texas is huge. At 270,000 square miles, a campaign will need a treasure trove of cash to finance television ads across 20 media markets. The presidential candidates are now...

The architect of Barack Obama’s successful campaigns for president said this week that Rick Perry and Ted Cruz would have uphill battles for the 2016 GOP nomination for the White House. David Axelrod, one of President Obama’s closest advisers, said Texas’ junior senator did have support with hard-right conservatives. But he questioned whether Cruz could build on it. “Ted Cruz has a base. That base will be there,” Axelrod told The Dallas Morning News before a forum at the World Affairs Council in Dallas. “Whether it’s large enough is another question.” Axelrod was not bullish on the prospects of...

In an interview for Newsmax TV, released on Monday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) accused President Obama of turning America into a monarchy. He also condemned Congressional Democrats for being “partisan rubber stamps for a lawless president”. While that style of blustering rhetoric is not unusual for the Republican Senator, he also went a step further by comparing President Obama to corrupt former President Nixon. Trying to draw parallels to Nixon’s lawless abuse of power during the Watergate scandal, Cruz complained: We’ve had presidents in the past who have abused power. But when that has happened: When Richard Nixon abused...

The budding Cruz 2016 campaign is adding some fund-raising muscle, with the Texas GOP finance chairman joining the effort. Hal Lambert, a Fort Worth money manager who has served three years as the state party’s top fund-raiser, said Tuesday that he is stepping down to help Sen. Ted Cruz if he runs for president. Lambert supported the 2012 presidential campaign of then-Gov. Rick Perry, who – like Cruz – has been spending lots of time with Republican activists in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where early contests are critical stops on the way to the White House. “It’s not...

Sen. Ted Cruz leads a crowded field for the Republican presidential nomination in Texas, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll released on Monday. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker grabbed only 2 percent of the vote in the last such poll in October, but he has surged to a close second. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whom 14 percent of Republican voters would have chosen in October, fell to fifth place in a wide-open field. Twenty percent of those surveyed went for Cruz, with Walker coming in with 19 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and neurosurgeon Ben Carson...

The Lone Star State has more than a lone contender in the GOP presidential race, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pointed out — but he isn't yet declaring a favorite. Abbott appeared Sunday on "Face the Nation," where host Bob Schieffer noted that Abbott's predecessor in the governor's office, Rick Perry, is expected to make a second bid. Then there are Sen. Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was born and raised in Texas. "I would not be surprised if they all run," Abbott said, but added there are a couple of more names Schieffer left out. Former...

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has become the darling of the Tea Party and other extreme right Republicans. He is seen as their potential presidential candidate. Cruz is a superb orator and the big plus: He's Hispanic. One needs to put a pan below the chin of the right-wingers to catch the drool. They now know that in order to win the White House their candidate must take between 35 and 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. So having a candidate that not only thinks like they do and is a great orator with leadership qualities, they feel, is a winning...

News 4 San Antonio's Randy Beamer shows you the all-but-official kickoff of the 2016 Presidential Race at the Iowa "Freedom Summit" over the weekend. And he wants to know what you think of the Texans fighting for support of the GOP right. Sen. Ted Cruz and former Rick Perry are in a very crowded field of Republicans. With so many candidates, the race may get heated (and interesting) earlier than ever. So which of the Texans do you think has the better chance? And who would you put money on to get the most money from donors? Go to our...

The Hill reports: “Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will be among the possible 2016 Republican presidential candidates speaking to a prominent group of conservatives in Iowa this spring. Walker and Cruz will speak at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition’s spring kickoff event on April 25, the group announced in a Monday statement.” Ironically, in an election cycle in which many pundits discount the influence of Christian conservatives, they could play a critical role in selection of the nominee. In past cycles, these values voters have split their vote, never managing to unite behind a single,...

Since the U.S. Supreme Court rejected hearing Alabama’s appeal on gay marriage earlier this week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has taken the firmest stance of all potential Republican presidential candidate on the issue. Cruz introduced the State Marriage Defense Act just two days after the high court’s decision, which would allow states to decide on how to define marriage, rather than federal judges. While Republicans have long been the party supporting only traditional marriage, media reports have recently stressed how slow likely Republican 2016 presidential have been to speak out on the Alabama matter. The Supreme Court opted not to...

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, looks increasingly like he will enter the 2016 presidential contest, even as he gets ready to hit Florida, home state of two other likely Republican candidates: former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Cruz appeared on ABC News‘ “This Week" on Sunday and said he was looking at running in 2016 and stressed his disagreement with Bush on immigration, even as he offered him some kind words. “Jeb Bush is a good man,” Cruz said. “He's a good governor. I respect him “If he chooses to run, it certainly looks like...

Based on historical patterns, the next president is likely to be a GenXer. This is not good news for the many baby boomers running, or thinking about running, in 2016. When voters decide it is time to move the presidency on to the next generation, they keep electing presidents in that next generation, or they go on to the one that follows. They do not go back. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were from the baby boomer generation. Barack Obama is from the Gen X generation (those born 1961 to 1981). If the pattern holds, the next president will...

Former Texas governor Rick Perry is benefiting from others’ foibles, as is often the case with a second-time presidential candidate. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) had a miserable week, as did New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (now reportedly under another federal investigation). Meanwhile, Perry released a list of more than 80 top donors and methodically continued his charm offensive with the press and his comeback tour in early primary states. Pundits are reluctant to raise him above the “others” category, and it is true he remains in single digits in state and national polls — but then so do Sen. Marco...

For any Texans torn between Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz as likely presidential candidates, the state’s former governor argued Thursday that executive experience matters. In a wide-ranging interview with The Texas Tribune and The Washington Post, Perry discussed international, presidential and Texas politics. Asked about what separates him from Cruz, Perry never mentioned his potential rival by name. Instead, he downplayed Senate experience and alluded to the fact that Cruz’s tenure in office is the same as then-Sen. Barack Obama's when he ran for president in 2008. “It’s one of the selling points, if you will, to the...

The Post reports: Former Texas governor Rick Perry on Thursday will announce that he has recruited more than 80 major donors, including some of the biggest bundlers in Republican politics, to aid his efforts as he prepares for a likely 2016 presidential campaign. Perry’s list of supporters is heavy with wealthy Texans, including many energy executives, investors or other business leaders who have backed his previous campaigns, such as his unsuccessful 2012 presidential run. The Rick PAC Advisory Board also features bigwigs in California, New York, Florida, Illinois and other donor-rich states, as well as more than a dozen donors...

As the field of possible GOP contenders for the White House start to take shape, it is important to assess what Latino voters think about the potential presidential candidates, if they even know who they are, and how they can possibly position themselves to court the Latino vote. There is no question that Republicans will lose the White House again in 2016 if they repeat the mistakes of Mitt "I would veto the Dream Act" Romney and lose three-quarters of the Latino vote. GOP Chairman Reince Preibus has said future Republican candidates "must embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform," while...

Texas Republicans issued a one-sentence rebuttal to Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) for his comments during a Monday Rules Committee meeting. In debating with Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) over the latest Obamacare repeal bill, Hastings referenced his colleague’s home state, “which I think is a crazy state to begin with, and I mean it just as I said it.” As the two fought over speaking time, Burgess complained that Hastings “made a very defamatory comment about my state, and I will not stand here and listen to it.” Hastings has not apologized. House Texas Republicans issued a joint statement today:...

Mitch McConnell has pledged that "regular order" will be restored to the Senate under his leadership, but his biggest obstacle to achieving that goal may not be Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, but fellow Republicans, particularly Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. With a potential run for the Republican nomination in 2016 in mind, Cruz has "a vested interest in pulling his colleagues to the right in a highly public manner, one that probably won’t be consistent with making deals with the White House," reports The Wall Street Journal. Despite receiving criticism for his filibuster of a vote on Obamacare, which many...