Who do you think is the strongest and weakest potential Republican candidates?

[Bo]

(Gary Johnson and other fringe candidates do not count)

Strongest: Romney, followed by Pawlenty.
Weakest: Palin, followed by Huckabee.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Strongest: Gary Johnson
Weakest: Tim Pawlenty

I didn't count fringe candidates like Suckabee.

[Phony Moderate]

Strongest: Alan Keyes

Weakest: Barack Obama

[CatoMinor]

Strongest: Johnson
Weakest: barbour

[ConservativeIllini]

Strongest: Romney, followed by Thune

Weakest: Palin, followed by Barbour/Bush

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Strongest: Huckabee
Weakest: Romney

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Strongest: Pawlenty
Weakest: Johnson

[Devilman88]

Strongest: Johnson, Thune
Weakest: Huckabee, Romney.

[tmthforu94]

Strongest: Mitt Romney, Mitch Daniels
Weakest: Michele Bachmann, Mike Huckabee

[Alexander Hamilton]

Strongest: Mitt Romney
Weakest: Newt Gingrich

[War on Want]

Strongest: Romney, Thune
Weakest: Palin, Johnson

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Strongest: Romney, Huckabee
Weakest: Palin, Gingrich

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Strongest: Romney, Huckabee
Weakest: Palin, Gingrich

From you that is quite surprising.

[nhmagic]

Strongest: Palin, Daniels, and anyone who takes up the Ron Paul mantle
Weakest: Romney, Huckabee

[pbrower2a]

Strongest: Romney (can win if Obama is a disaster)

Weakest: tie between Palin (insane) and Barbour (too regional).

[Poundingtherock]

Strongest: Palin (within 3-6 points of Obama despite a fairly tough year)

Weakest: Romney (Blanche Lincoln disease: Republicans and conservatives think he's too liberal/moderate, everyone else thinks he's too conservative)

[Zarn]

Strongest: Johnson
Weakest: Palin/ Huckabee

[Psychic Octopus]

Strongest: Romney or Pawlenty
Weakest: Palin, Barbour, Cheney

[useful idiot]

In terms of being an articulate and intelligent spokesman for conservative ideals, knowing that they're going to lose and therefore using the campaign as a rallying cry to be heard for a generation (ala Godwater 64):

Strongest: Santorum
Weakest: Pawlenty, Romney or Palin; the first because he's bland and boring, the second because he's both boring and unprincipled, the third because she's too dumb to screw in a lightbulb

In terms of electoral success:

Strongest: Johnson
Weakest: Palin

[Stranger in a strange land]

strongest: Romney, his only problem is that a not-insignificant portion of the Republican base hates him (go on Free Republic and see what they have to say about him there), but the rest of the field is extremely weak and the religious/radio right will probably divide itself among 3 or 4 candidates.

weakest: Palin - lots of baggage and a messy family life

[GLPman]

Strongest: Romney and Thune

Weakest: Palin

[tarheel-leftist85]

Out of Huck, Palin, Romney, Pawlenty, Daniels, Gingrich

Strongest:  Huck, followed by Palin

Weakest:  Romney and Gingrich

[JSojourner]

Strongest in terms of funding?  Romney.  And if money wins primaries, we have a nominee.

Strongest in terms of appeal to the extreme right?  Thune, Pence or Barbour.


Weakest in terms of political baggage?  Palin and Huck (the embarrassment factor)

Weakest in terms of persona and image?   Pawlenty (dull)  Newt (asshole)

Weakest in terms of appeal to the extreme right?  Johnson, Giuliani

[California8429]

Strongest: Romney, then Pawlenty, then Thune, then Huckabee, then Gingrich
Weakest: Palin, then Johnson

[Deldem]

Strongest- Pawlenty. Governed a Democratic-leaning state for two terms.
Weakest- Huckabee. Crazy, governed a state most people view negatively. Also, scary to the non-base.

In between:
Romney- Would be strongest, but people are bigots and may vote against him solely because he is a Mormon.
Palin- Like Huckabee, but with a little more stupid and a little less crazy. She only gets the edge because Alaska's image is a little better than Arkansas'. Also, she may not even run, and if she does, she'll mostly be doing it for the book deal.
Johnson- Nonfactor, since he's like Paul with even less name recognition.
Newt- Smartest of the bunch, but also thoroughly unlikeable.
Thune- From small state, so not well known. However, he did beat Tom Daschle. While this won't help him at all in the general, this possibly could give him a chance in the primaries.