{"id":733,"date":"2015-09-29T17:40:38","date_gmt":"2015-09-30T01:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=733"},"modified":"2015-09-29T22:36:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-30T06:36:00","slug":"the-state-of-the-gop-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=733","title":{"rendered":"The State of the GOP Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s been two weeks now since the Republican presidential debate on CNN and, since I can&#8217;t help myself, thought I would share a few thoughts about what&#8217;s happening in the race right now.<\/p>\n<p>The most significant development is that Donald Trump&#8217;s support has softened since that debate. It seems clear that his act is starting to wear a little thin. Carly Fiorina took him down a few pegs that night with her reasoned, knowledgeable, precise and presidential performance. After the debate, most pundits (and, as it turns out, voters) felt that Fiorina won it handily, with Marco Rubio also doing extremely well and (to a lesser extent) Chris Christie.<\/p>\n<p>In the last two weeks, Trump has declared &#8220;war&#8221; on a new target and an old one: Marco Rubio and Fox News. \u00a0This time it seems that voters are starting to grow weary of his bombast. \u00a0He declared again that Fox News was treating him unfairly and decided to temporarily boycott the network (a boycott that ended Tuesday night with an appearance on <em>The O&#8217;Reilly Factor)<\/em>. \u00a0When Trump started his boycott, the network&#8217;s official response said that his personal attacks on its&#8217; hosts had grown &#8220;stale and tiresome.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Just asking: who is the other famous public figure who often complains about Fox News? \u00a0The answer: President Obama. \u00a0Just asking again: if Trump has a hard time with Fox News, how is he really going to do with Vladimir Putin?<\/p>\n<p>The difference is that Obama has gotten used to the Fox-bashing; Trump isn&#8217;t and doesn&#8217;t like it. \u00a0He&#8217;s shown throughout this campaign that he is remarkably thin-skinned. \u00a0When he is criticized, his response is not to debate the message but to personally attack the messenger. But that tactic seems to be losing its effectiveness.\u00a0At the Value Voters Summit last week in Iowa, he referred to Rubio as a &#8220;clown,&#8221; a comment that led the audience to boo him resoundingly. Trump&#8217;s biggest asset and biggest vulnerability is that he speaks his mind in a totally unfiltered way. Essentially, he&#8217;s &#8220;winging it,&#8221; which works well for him on the stump but clearly not in the debates.<\/p>\n<p>What Trump needs to learn is that, when he uses terms like &#8220;lightweight, clown, and loser,&#8221; he LOSES any chance of gaining the support of somebody who LIKES the person he&#8217;s attacking. \u00a0I like Fox News&#8217; Megyn Kelly, I like John McCain, I like Carly Fiorina and I like Marco Rubio. \u00a0When he calls Kelly a &#8220;bimbo,&#8221; when he says (of McCain) &#8220;I like people who\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">weren&#8217;t<\/span> captured,&#8221; when he criticizes Fiorina&#8217;s face and when he calls Rubio a &#8220;clown&#8221; it PISSES ME OFF and you&#8217;ve lost me.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, the following chart shows the Real Clear Politics average of the five most recent polls (all post-debate) and also the five most recent polls taken BEFORE the debate. \u00a0Take a look at the numbers (remembering that Scott Walker dropped out of the race a few days after the debate):<\/p>\n<div class=\"supsystic-table-loader spinner\"><\/div><div id=\"supsystic-table-10_21262\" class=\"supsystic-tables-wrap \" style=\" width:100%; visibility: hidden; \" data-table-width-fixed=\"100%\" ><table id=\"supsystic-table-10\" class=\"supsystic-table border lightboxImg cell-border\" data-id=\"10\" data-view-id=\"10_21262\" data-title=\"Real Clear Politics Sept 29th\" data-currency-format=\"$1,0.00\" data-percent-format=\"1.00%\" data-date-format=\"DD.MM.YYYY\" data-time-format=\"HH:mm\" data-features=\"[]\" data-search-value=\"\" data-lightbox-img=\"\" data-lang=\"default\" data-responsive-mode=\"1\" data-from-history=\"0\" ><thead><tr><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A1\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold bg-8ba3c7 htLeft htBottom\" data-original-value=\"Real Clear Politics Average of five polls\" data-order=\"Real Clear Politics Average of five polls\" style=\"width:134px\" >Real Clear Politics Average of five polls <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B1\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"htCenter bold bg-bcc6d6 htBottom\" data-original-value=\"5 Polls after the CNN debate\" data-order=\"5 Polls after the CNN debate\" style=\"width:104px\" >5 Polls after the CNN debate <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C1\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"htCenter bold bg-bcc6d6 htBottom\" data-original-value=\"5 Polls before the CNN debate\" data-order=\"5 Polls before the CNN debate\" style=\"width:97px\" >5 Polls before the CNN debate <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D1\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"htCenter bg-bcc6d6 bold htBottom\" data-original-value=\"Difference\" data-order=\"Difference\" style=\"width:89px\" >Difference <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A2\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Donald Trump\" data-order=\"Donald Trump\" >Donald Trump <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B2\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"23.4%\" data-order=\"23.4%\" >23.4% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C2\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"30.2%\" data-order=\"30.2%\" >30.2% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D2\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold color-ff2b2b\" data-original-value=\"-6.8%\" data-order=\"-6.8%\" >-6.8% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A3\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Ben Carson\" data-order=\"Ben Carson\" >Ben Carson <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B3\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"17.0%\" data-order=\"17.0%\" >17.0% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C3\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"19.0%\" data-order=\"19.0%\" >19.0% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D3\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold color-f53b3b\" data-original-value=\"-2.0%\" data-order=\"-2.0%\" >-2.0% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A4\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Carly Fiorina\" data-order=\"Carly Fiorina\" >Carly Fiorina <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B4\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"11.6%\" data-order=\"11.6%\" >11.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C4\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"4.2%\" data-order=\"4.2%\" >4.2% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D4\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"+7.4%\" data-order=\"+7.4%\" >+7.4% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A5\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Marco Rubio\" data-order=\"Marco Rubio\" >Marco Rubio <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B5\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"9.6%\" data-order=\"9.6%\" >9.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C5\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"5.6%\" data-order=\"5.6%\" >5.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D5\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"+4.0%\" data-order=\"+4.0%\" >+4.0% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A6\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Jeb Bush\" data-order=\"Jeb Bush\" >Jeb Bush <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B6\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"9.2%\" data-order=\"9.2%\" >9.2% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C6\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"8.0%\" data-order=\"8.0%\" >8.0% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D6\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"+0.8%\" data-order=\"+0.8%\" >+0.8% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A7\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Ted Cruz\" data-order=\"Ted Cruz\" >Ted Cruz <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B7\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"6.2%\" data-order=\"6.2%\" >6.2% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C7\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"6.6%\" data-order=\"6.6%\" >6.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D7\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold color-fc3c3c\" data-original-value=\"-0.4%\" data-order=\"-0.4%\" >-0.4% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A8\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"John Kasich\" data-order=\"John Kasich\" >John Kasich <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B8\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"3.6%\" data-order=\"3.6%\" >3.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C8\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"3.2%\" data-order=\"3.2%\" >3.2% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D8\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"+0.4%\" data-order=\"+0.4%\" >+0.4% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A9\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Chris Christie\" data-order=\"Chris Christie\" >Chris Christie <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B9\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"3.4%\" data-order=\"3.4%\" >3.4% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C9\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"1.6%\" data-order=\"1.6%\" >1.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D9\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold color-050505\" data-original-value=\"+1.8%\" data-order=\"+1.8%\" >+1.8% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A10\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"10\" data-db-index=\"10\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Mike Huckabee\" data-order=\"Mike Huckabee\" >Mike Huckabee <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B10\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"10\" data-db-index=\"10\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"3.2%\" data-order=\"3.2%\" >3.2% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C10\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"10\" data-db-index=\"10\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"4.6%\" data-order=\"4.6%\" >4.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D10\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"10\" data-db-index=\"10\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold color-eb1717\" data-original-value=\"-1.4%\" data-order=\"-1.4%\" >-1.4% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A11\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"11\" data-db-index=\"11\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Rand Paul\" data-order=\"Rand Paul\" >Rand Paul <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B11\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"11\" data-db-index=\"11\" class=\"bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"2.4%\" data-order=\"2.4%\" >2.4% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C11\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"11\" data-db-index=\"11\" class=\"bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"2.8%\" data-order=\"2.8%\" >2.8% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D11\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"11\" data-db-index=\"11\" class=\"bold htCenter htMiddle color-f51e1e\" data-original-value=\"-0.4%\" data-order=\"-0.4%\" >-0.4% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A12\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"12\" data-db-index=\"12\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Rick Santorum\" data-order=\"Rick Santorum\" >Rick Santorum <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B12\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"12\" data-db-index=\"12\" class=\"bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"0.6%\" data-order=\"0.6%\" >0.6% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C12\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"12\" data-db-index=\"12\" class=\"bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"0.8%\" data-order=\"0.8%\" >0.8% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D12\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"12\" data-db-index=\"12\" class=\"bold htCenter htMiddle color-fa3c3c\" data-original-value=\"-0.2%\" data-order=\"-0.2%\" >-0.2% <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A13\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"13\" data-db-index=\"13\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Scott Walker\" data-order=\"Scott Walker\" >Scott Walker <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B13\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"13\" data-db-index=\"13\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"0.4%\" data-order=\"0.4%\" >0.4% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C13\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"13\" data-db-index=\"13\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold\" data-original-value=\"3.4%\" data-order=\"3.4%\" >3.4% <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D13\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"13\" data-db-index=\"13\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle bold color-f52020\" data-original-value=\"-3.0%\" data-order=\"-3.0%\" >-3.0% <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><!-- \/#supsystic-table-10.supsystic-table --><\/div><!-- \/.supsystic-tables-wrap --><!-- Tables Generator by Supsystic --><!-- Version:1.11.0 --><!-- http:\/\/supsystic.com\/ --><a title=\"Wordpress Table Plugin\" style=\"display:none;\" href=\"https:\/\/supsystic.com\/plugins\/wordpress-data-table-plugin\/?utm_medium=love_link\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Table Plugin<\/a>\n<p>Five major national polls have come out in the last two weeks and the result is clear and striking: Trump&#8217;s decline has begun. Based on the five polls taken SINCE the debate compared to the five most recent polls taken BEFORE the debate, The Donald has lost about 6.8%, a loss of nearly a quarter of his support. He&#8217;s still the clear front-runner but, when you&#8217;re way ahead and start slipping, it&#8217;s hard to stop the slide. \u00a0The number one thing he talks about on the stump is how great he&#8217;s doing in the polls, &#8220;look at me, vote for me because I&#8217;m winning.&#8221; The moment he&#8217;s not winning, he&#8217;s done.<\/p>\n<p>One of the interesting things I&#8217;ve found in the narrative of the news coverage is that I see a lot of headlines and commentary that neurosurgeon Ben Carson is surging in these polls. The truth of the fact is that he is NOT surging, he&#8217;s declining too, just not as much as Trump is, so the race at the top is closer. The two candidates who <strong>are<\/strong> clearly surging are the debate winners Fiorina and Rubio.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, I spent some time recently coming up with a bunch of questions that probe into the strengths and weaknesses of each of the candidates and then ranked them each on a scale of 1 to 10. \u00a0These are all my personal preferences so many of you will disagree severely with some of these rankings. \u00a0I picked 12 criteria for each of the top 8 candidates (I excluded Huckabee, Paul, Santorum, Jindal, Graham and Pataki because they&#8217;re really low in the polls and I just don&#8217;t think much about them).<\/p>\n<p>Here are the questions:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Is the candidate charismatic and media savvy? \u00a0To what degree do they command attention? \u00a0Are they effective in using the free media time they get?<\/li>\n<li>How good are each of the candidates at expressing themselves concisely at the debates? \u00a0Do they make the most of the limited time they have?<\/li>\n<li>Is the candidate likable and authentic? When they say something, do you wonder whether it&#8217;s a poll-tested opinion or what they truly believe?<\/li>\n<li>What is the state of the candidate&#8217;s fundraising? (This is hard to know precisely but I&#8217;ve offered my best guesses)<\/li>\n<li>To what degree does the candidate understand and articulate detailed foreign policy positions? \u00a0Is the candidate a credible Commander in Chief?<\/li>\n<li>Does the candidate understand how the economy works? \u00a0Can they credibly claim that they will be able to create jobs?<\/li>\n<li>What is the appeal of the candidate to the &#8220;base&#8221; of GOP voters, who are mostly socially &amp; fiscally conservative, anti immigration and anti-Washington in general?<\/li>\n<li>What is the appeal of the candidate to Latino voters? \u00a0(the Republican candidate MUST do better with this growing constituency than Mitt Romney did in 2012)<\/li>\n<li>What is the appeal of the candidate to women voters? (remember the candidate will most likely be running against Hillary Clinton and the &#8220;first female president&#8221; factor)<\/li>\n<li>A key question: is the candidate ready for the job?<\/li>\n<li>Does the candidate have a good track record to run on against Hillary (or Joe Biden if she collapses under the weight of the email scandal)?<\/li>\n<li>An issue that doesn&#8217;t seem important to the GOP base right now but is important when actually governing: does this candidate have the ability to work across the aisle with Democrats to get things done (a la Ronald Reagan and Tip O&#8217;Neill)?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Anyway, here is my chart:<\/p>\n<div class=\"supsystic-table-loader spinner\"><\/div><div id=\"supsystic-table-9_24992\" class=\"supsystic-tables-wrap \" style=\" width:100%; visibility: hidden; \" data-table-width-fixed=\"100%\" ><table id=\"supsystic-table-9\" class=\"supsystic-table border lightboxImg cell-border\" data-id=\"9\" data-view-id=\"9_24992\" data-title=\"GOP Candidate Rankings\" data-currency-format=\"$1,0.00\" data-percent-format=\"1.00%\" data-date-format=\"DD.MM.YYYY\" data-time-format=\"HH:mm\" data-features=\"[]\" data-search-value=\"\" data-lightbox-img=\"\" data-lang=\"default\" data-responsive-mode=\"1\" data-from-history=\"0\" ><thead><tr><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><th class=\"\" style=\"padding: 0 !important;\"><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A1\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c1aef5\" data-original-value=\"Ratings on a scale of 1 to 10\" data-order=\"Ratings on a scale of 1 to 10\" style=\"width:80px\" >Ratings on a scale of 1 to 10 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B1\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Char-ismatic, media savvy?\" data-order=\"Char-ismatic, media savvy?\" style=\"width:62px\" >Char-ismatic, media savvy? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C1\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Skill in de-bates\" data-order=\"Skill in de-bates\" style=\"width:53px\" >Skill in de-bates <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D1\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Likable and auth-entic?\" data-order=\"Likable and auth-entic?\" style=\"width:60px\" >Likable and auth-entic? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E1\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Level of fund-raising\" data-order=\"Level of fund-raising\" style=\"width:58px\" >Level of fund-raising <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F1\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Knows foreign policy issues?\" data-order=\"Knows foreign policy issues?\" style=\"width:57px\" >Knows foreign policy issues? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G1\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Under-stands econ-omy?\" data-order=\"Under-stands econ-omy?\" style=\"width:58px\" >Under-stands econ-omy? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H1\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Appeal to GOP base voters?\" data-order=\"Appeal to GOP base voters?\" style=\"width:61px\" >Appeal to GOP base voters? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I1\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Appeal to latino voters?\" data-order=\"Appeal to latino voters?\" style=\"width:61px\" >Appeal to latino voters? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J1\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Appeal to women voters?\" data-order=\"Appeal to women voters?\" style=\"width:61px\" >Appeal to women voters? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K1\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Ready for the job?\" data-order=\"Ready for the job?\" style=\"width:64px\" >Ready for the job? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L1\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bold htCenter htBottom bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Record to run on vs Hillary?\" data-order=\"Record to run on vs Hillary?\" style=\"width:60px\" >Record to run on vs Hillary? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M1\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"htBottom htCenter bold bg-c9e8f0\" data-original-value=\"Work with Dems?\" data-order=\"Work with Dems?\" style=\"width:65px\" >Work with Dems? <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N1\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"1\" data-db-index=\"1\" class=\"bg-93b5bd htCenter htBottom bold\" data-original-value=\"TOTAL\" data-order=\"TOTAL\" style=\"width:55px\" >TOTAL <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A2\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Rubio\" data-order=\"Rubio\" >Rubio <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B2\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C2\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D2\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E2\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F2\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"10\" data-order=\"10\" >10 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G2\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H2\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I2\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J2\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K2\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L2\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"formula formula formula htMiddle htCenter\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M2\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N2\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"2\" data-db-index=\"2\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"89\" data-order=\"89\" >89 <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A3\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Kasich\" data-order=\"Kasich\" >Kasich <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B3\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C3\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D3\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E3\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F3\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G3\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H3\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"2\" data-order=\"2\" >2 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I3\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J3\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K3\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L3\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"formula formula formula htMiddle htCenter\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M3\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N3\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"3\" data-db-index=\"3\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"87\" data-order=\"87\" >87 <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A4\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Fiorina\" data-order=\"Fiorina\" >Fiorina <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B4\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C4\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"10\" data-order=\"10\" >10 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D4\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E4\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F4\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G4\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H4\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I4\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J4\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K4\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L4\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"formula formula formula htMiddle htCenter\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M4\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N4\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"4\" data-db-index=\"4\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"85\" data-order=\"85\" >85 <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A5\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Bush\" data-order=\"Bush\" >Bush <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B5\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"4\" data-order=\"4\" >4 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C5\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D5\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E5\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F5\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G5\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H5\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"2\" data-order=\"2\" >2 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I5\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J5\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K5\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L5\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"formula formula formula htMiddle htCenter\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M5\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N5\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"5\" data-db-index=\"5\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"79\" data-order=\"79\" >79 <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A6\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Christie\" data-order=\"Christie\" >Christie <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B6\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C6\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D6\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E6\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F6\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G6\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H6\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"2\" data-order=\"2\" >2 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I6\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"4\" data-order=\"4\" >4 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J6\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"4\" data-order=\"4\" >4 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K6\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L6\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"formula formula formula htMiddle htCenter\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M6\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N6\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"6\" data-db-index=\"6\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"76\" data-order=\"76\" >76 <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A7\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Trump\" data-order=\"Trump\" >Trump <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B7\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"10\" data-order=\"10\" >10 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C7\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"3\" data-order=\"3\" >3 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D7\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"3\" data-order=\"3\" >3 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E7\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"10\" data-order=\"10\" >10 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F7\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"3\" data-order=\"3\" >3 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G7\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"10\" data-order=\"10\" >10 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H7\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I7\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"1\" data-order=\"1\" >1 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J7\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"3\" data-order=\"3\" >3 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K7\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L7\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M7\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N7\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"7\" data-db-index=\"7\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"75\" data-order=\"75\" >75 <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A8\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Cruz\" data-order=\"Cruz\" >Cruz <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B8\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C8\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D8\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E8\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"8\" data-order=\"8\" >8 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F8\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G8\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H8\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I8\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"4\" data-order=\"4\" >4 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J8\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"4\" data-order=\"4\" >4 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K8\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L8\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M8\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"2\" data-order=\"2\" >2 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N8\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"8\" data-db-index=\"8\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"74\" data-order=\"74\" >74 <\/td><\/tr><tr ><td data-cell-id=\"A9\" data-x=\"0\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"bold\" data-original-value=\"Carson\" data-order=\"Carson\" >Carson <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"B9\" data-x=\"1\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"C9\" data-x=\"2\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"D9\" data-x=\"3\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"10\" data-order=\"10\" >10 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"E9\" data-x=\"4\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"F9\" data-x=\"5\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"3\" data-order=\"3\" >3 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"G9\" data-x=\"6\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"5\" data-order=\"5\" >5 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"H9\" data-x=\"7\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"9\" data-order=\"9\" >9 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"I9\" data-x=\"8\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"6\" data-order=\"6\" >6 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"J9\" data-x=\"9\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"K9\" data-x=\"10\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"3\" data-order=\"3\" >3 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"L9\" data-x=\"11\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"4\" data-order=\"4\" >4 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"M9\" data-x=\"12\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"formula formula formula htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"7\" data-order=\"7\" >7 <\/td><td data-cell-id=\"N9\" data-x=\"13\" data-y=\"9\" data-db-index=\"9\" class=\"formula formula formula bold htCenter htMiddle\" data-original-value=\"71\" data-order=\"71\" >71 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><!-- \/#supsystic-table-9.supsystic-table --><\/div><!-- \/.supsystic-tables-wrap --><!-- Tables Generator by Supsystic --><!-- Version:1.11.0 --><!-- http:\/\/supsystic.com\/ --><a title=\"Wordpress Table Plugin\" style=\"display:none;\" href=\"https:\/\/supsystic.com\/plugins\/wordpress-data-table-plugin\/?utm_medium=love_link\" target=\"_blank\">Wordpress Table Plugin<\/a>\n<p>Those who know me or have read my previous posts know that I&#8217;m a big fan of Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Carly Fiorina so it shouldn&#8217;t be shocking that they rank as the top 3. \u00a0I&#8217;ll finish with a few thoughts about each of the eight listed candidates based on those rankings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marco Rubio<\/strong>: the only candidate to whom I gave a 6 or higher in every category. The only negatives about Marco are his youth and lack of governing experience. These are significant and certainly he is not the most\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">prepared<\/span> to be president. \u00a0But he&#8217;s the GOP&#8217;s best shot to win both the primary and the general election.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John Kasich<\/strong>: he&#8217;s still my first choice but it&#8217;s going to be very tough for him to win the nomination. He has a &#8220;base&#8221; problem. \u00a0As governor of Ohio, he accepted the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare which, in the minds of a lot of conservatives, is a deal-breaker. If he managed to win the nomination, he would mop the floor with Hillary. \u00a0He&#8217;s the kind of Republican that Democrats voters could support. \u00a0Of course, that fact is why he likely won&#8217;t get the chance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carly Fiorina<\/strong>: her biggest strength is also her biggest weakness and that is her tenure as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, a position from which she was fired. In essence, she has a bit of a Romney problem, that of a Republican CEO who shipped jobs overseas while getting a multi-million dollar severance package. As a California resident, I am keenly aware of how successful the attack ads were against her when she ran for the Senate against Barbara Boxer. She is clearly prepared for this job and will be a formidable candidate in this race but I think, as an overall strategy for winning, she would serve the party better as the VP nominee where her controversial record at HP won&#8217;t matter. As the VP, her primary role in the campaign will be to beat Hillary Clinton like a pinata, something to which she has displayed exceptional skill.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jeb Bush<\/strong>: don&#8217;t underestimate the non-Trump fund-raising king. \u00a0TV advertising money matters and he and his super PAC have it in abundance. He would make a terrific president and, possibly even more than Rubio, will appeal to Latino voters because of his soft rhetoric of immigration, ability to speak Spanish and Mexican-born wife. But I will always prefer one of the &#8220;top 3&#8221; on my list because I fear that &#8220;Bush fatigue&#8221; might be as severe as &#8220;Clinton fatigue.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chris Christie<\/strong>: if he can slowly creep up in the polls, he will continue to remind people why they liked him in the first place. Still a major long-shot but he&#8217;s entertaining without being an a-hole.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Donald Trump:\u00a0<\/strong>I&#8217;ve written about him plenty but I&#8217;ll just make this point because I, like him, am obsessed with the polls. Every &#8220;head to head&#8221; poll between Trump and Hillary Clinton that I&#8217;ve seen (with one exception) shows Hillary winning by a significant margin. The other candidates often beat her and are always in the game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ted Cruz: <\/strong>I am not personally a fan but he should not be underestimated. If Trump and Carson actually disappear from the race he could scoop up a lot of their support because he is the &#8220;outsider-insider,&#8221; the one candidate with experience in government who has battled the Republican establishment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ben Carson:\u00a0<\/strong>I really don&#8217;t get it. \u00a0He&#8217;s likable and brilliant but he&#8217;s doesn&#8217;t have any governmental <strong>or<\/strong> management experience (sitting on lots of boards of directors doesn&#8217;t count). \u00a0I just think people like him. \u00a0They like Trump&#8217;s outsider mantra but they don&#8217;t like Trump so they go with Carson when the pollsters call. \u00a0It won&#8217;t be the same when it&#8217;s time to go to the ballot box.<\/p>\n<p>The next debate is on CNBC on Wednesday, October 28th.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for reading.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Bodig<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s been two weeks now since the Republican presidential debate on CNN and, since I can&#8217;t help myself, thought I would share a few thoughts about what&#8217;s happening in the race right now. The most significant development is that Donald Trump&#8217;s support has softened since that debate. It seems clear that his act is starting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14,20,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-republicans","category-the-2016-race"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/CNN-DEBATE-PIC.png?fit=645%2C316&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5rqzv-bP","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":717,"url":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=717","url_meta":{"origin":733,"position":0},"title":"How Carly took down The Donald at the CNN Debate","author":"chrisbodig@gmail.com","date":"September 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been five days since the CNN debate and the verdict is unanimous: not only was Carly Fiorina the clear winner of the debate but the result has been a massive upward bump in the polls, positioning the\u00a0former Hewlett-Packard CEO as the 2nd highest-ranked Republican in the presidential nomination derby.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRUMP-AND-CARLY-CNN3.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRUMP-AND-CARLY-CNN3.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRUMP-AND-CARLY-CNN3.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRUMP-AND-CARLY-CNN3.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRUMP-AND-CARLY-CNN3.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":977,"url":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=977","url_meta":{"origin":733,"position":1},"title":"Reaction to Tuesday&#8217;s CNN Debate","author":"chrisbodig@gmail.com","date":"December 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Who won the debate Tuesday night, the last one in 2015 for the Republicans vying for their party's nomination to be the next President of the United States? With a heavy emphasis in the debate on fighting terrorism and foreign policy, here's my quick ranking of the performance of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/CNN-REPUBLICAN-DEBATE-TRUMP-CRUZ.png?fit=568%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/CNN-REPUBLICAN-DEBATE-TRUMP-CRUZ.png?fit=568%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/CNN-REPUBLICAN-DEBATE-TRUMP-CRUZ.png?fit=568%2C416&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1211,"url":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=1211","url_meta":{"origin":733,"position":2},"title":"Previewing Tuesday&#8217;s New Hampshire Primary","author":"chrisbodig@gmail.com","date":"February 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"On Tuesday, nearly 600,000 residents of New Hampshire are expected to go to the polls and cast their mark behind one of the 11 Republican or Democratic candidates running for President of the United States. In this brief post, I'll handicap the likely results. What's fascinating about tomorrow's primary is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/NEW-HAMPSHIRE-PRIMARY.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/NEW-HAMPSHIRE-PRIMARY.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/NEW-HAMPSHIRE-PRIMARY.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":816,"url":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=816","url_meta":{"origin":733,"position":3},"title":"The Fox Business Network Debate","author":"chrisbodig@gmail.com","date":"November 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What a difference 13 days makes. \u00a0After a debate two weeks ago that pitted the Republican presidential candidates against the CNBC moderators, eight of the GOP contenders tonight had a debate where they actually debated each other rather than the folks at Fox Business Network (FBN) who were asking the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/FBN-DEBATE.png?fit=663%2C280&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/FBN-DEBATE.png?fit=663%2C280&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/FBN-DEBATE.png?fit=663%2C280&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1430,"url":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=1430","url_meta":{"origin":733,"position":4},"title":"Cruz and Carly: a Winning Ticket or Too Little, Too Late?","author":"chrisbodig@gmail.com","date":"April 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In case you missed it on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after getting thumped in Tuesday's five northeast primaries by Donald Trump, Texas Senator Ted Cruz took back the news cycle by making an announcement only surprising in it's timing: he named former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina as his Vice-Presidential\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/CARLY-AND-CRUZ.png?fit=439%2C367&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1220,"url":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?p=1220","url_meta":{"origin":733,"position":5},"title":"Big Wins for Bernie and The Donald","author":"chrisbodig@gmail.com","date":"February 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Tonight the citizens of New Hampshire made their collective voices loud and clear: as far as they're concerned, politics as usual is over. The Live Free or Die state voters rendered a decisive result by conferring landslide victories upon the two biggest outsider candidates in the race, the self-funded billionaire\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Democrats&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Democrats","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/?cat=21"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/SANDERS-AND-TRUMP.png?fit=680%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/SANDERS-AND-TRUMP.png?fit=680%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chrisbodig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/SANDERS-AND-TRUMP.png?fit=680%2C279&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=733"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":745,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions\/745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrisbodig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}