About four months and two debates into their campaigns, the large and impressive GOP field is finally starting to sort itself out. We have already seen some rise quickly and others lose sight of their eventual path to the nomination and drop out. The political outsiders, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump, have all been shown tremendous support thus far. Meanwhile Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have been waiting patiently for their opportunity to snatch the nomination.
Let’s begin with the front-runner: Donald Trump. His poll numbers have gone down recently, and his allies in the field have reached a grand total of zero. As we saw last Wednesday, Mr. Trump held off attacks, but was exposed for his lack of knowledge in many categories—most notably in foreign policy. In this category, Jeb Bush got the better of the businessman. Right now their rivalry for Iowa and New Hampshire could not be any bigger. Despite all this Donald Trump still holds the lead in every poll, but do not expect him to continue this surge.
Carly Fiorina has proven herself. The former Hewlett Packard secretary turned CEO is now a household name. She is tough, sincere and she means business. Despite not having a record to run like her counterparts on the Democratic ticket, she is willing to show the American people that she is the most qualified candidate when it comes to business and diplomatic relations.
Jeb Bush is starting to rise like he was expected to do. He has been jabbing back and forth with Donald Trump and eventually will go the full 15 rounds with him. If Trump hangs with Bush until the primary, expect Jeb to win the split decision.The former Florida governor is proud to endorse his record, which is one that can’t be distorted by the Democrats when it comes to the general election. The brother of George W. Bush and the son of George H.W. Bush, Jeb is not afraid to say he is different but also loyal to his family and country.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has seen his poll numbers go up recently. He is young, smart and a great orator. His ability to relate to Americans through the expression of his humble beginnings paired with his strong speech delivery from behind the podium to be is inspiring. However, stories of him struggling to uphold his own finances have recently been surfacing. Nonetheless, Rubio can go as far as the American people will allow him to. Right now, he seems to be most people’s fall back option, but perhaps that will change once his recognition keeps going up.
The American people can find hope and inspiration for the future from the above-mentioned candidates. While it is still unclear who will win the election, one thing is for certain: the Republican Party is right for the job.
Peter Hinman is a senior majoring in political science.
