Why support Candidate A over Candidate B?

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I figure my process of deciding who to vote for goes something like this:


1.  Which candidates, based on their stances on issues, envision a future for society closer to
     what I favor than if the prevailing order were to be left completely intact for another term?

2.  Among those candidates, which can I most confidentially voice public support for without a
     nagging suspicion my pick lacks an inspiring vision, decent principles, or reformist strategy?

3.  To choose from the remaining folks, or in lieu of using the previous step due to uncertainty,
     which candidate fancies (personally, or via party membership) the ideology most like mine?

4.  If it is too hard to pick one person in the previous step, endorse the one most likely to win.


Applying this to the 2012 Presidential race, step one would rule out Romney (R), Goode (C), and every independent I have any knowledge about seeking the presidency. Gary Johnson (L), Barack Obama (D), and most other left-of-centre picks with any name recognition at all make it to step two, but only Rocky Anderson (J), Stewart Alexander (S), and Jill Stein (G) make it to step three. The latter two of them were difficult for me to choose from. Stein seemed slightly closer after some time to ruminate over it, and that preference became solidly reinforced in the weeks afterward because of her stronger campaign.

On a related note, I only seriously consider candidates with party nominations after the primaries.