As the nomination race for the 2008 presidential candidates continues, few things are truly certain. Wins and losses are. So far, Clinton, Obama, Huckabee, McCain and Romney have collected victories. This leaves other candidates with a lack of a strong, early foundation of delegates. Of the remaining hopefuls, I feel Giuliani, Thompson, Paul and Edwards are in need of some attention. Here’s a run-through on the candidates’ presence so far, and where they need to make a comeback:
Ron Paul: This Texan has a strong online support base, mostly comprised of younger, middle class, tech-savvy folks. While the constitutionalist candidate may be the oldest nominee, he seems to have good potential for all age groups (if they could just hear about him). What Paul does lack is campaign money from big donors and lobbyists, which are paying the way for much of his competitors’ campaigning. Paul needs to win in Florida, or the nomination is virtually out of reach.
John Edwards: The former Senator is winless in the Democratic race, but not without delegates. Even as a loser, Edwards retains a proportion of delegates from the states he ran in, and is still very much alive in the nomination race. However, Edward’s allure is lacking, and the media coverage he receives falters daily. With the SC primary just 48 hours away, Edwards can’t afford to not-win his home state. Then he would remind me of Al Gore.
Rudy Giuliani: There are days when I think, “What happened to Rudy?”. The former mayor hasn’t played hardball for any extended period of time, in any one place. This could be due to a budget problem; but again, a little surprising. Still, Giuliani’s position as a moderate gives him great advantage as a nominee in November. Despite lackluster performances, the New Yorker is still confident. Rudy has trumpeted Florida as being his breakout state for some time, and it couldn’t come much sooner.
by: Not Albert Speer
