Heck, why not? A Moose Straw Poll is probably at least as good a predictor as the Iowa Straw Poll which has not successfully picked the eventual nominee since 2000.
According to The Hill, there are 20 candidates who have thrown their hats near the ring … ready to nudge them in given even the slightest encouragement.
Get ready for the largest GOP presidential field in recent history.
As many as 20 Republicans are taking a serious look at running for the White House in 2016. A handful of candidates have moved aggressively into the field, and others are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, with several announcements expected in April.
According to the article, the field of declared candidates for the last election cycle never exceeded 10 and the largest group at a debate was 9 (in 2011).
The list is below the fold …
The Hill 20
Jeb Bush
Scott Walker
Rand Paul
Marco Rubio
Chris Christie
Ben Carson
Mike Huckabee
Ted Cruz
Rick Perry
Lindsey Graham
John Kasich
Bobby Jindal
Rick Santorum
Carly Fiorina
John Bolton
Peter King
George Pataki
Jim Gilmore
Bob Ehrlich
Mark Everson
I think that Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Sarah Palin should be added to the list to lend gravitas. And who can forget the freshmen Senate phenoms, Tom Cotton and Joni Ernst? Plus Mitt … if the establishment candidate falters, can he be enticed back into the fray?
Let the polling begin.
Note: To simulate the chaos of the current GOP 2016 presidential field, you can vote for as many candidates as you want!
[poll id=”
186
“]
20 comments