Which non-incumbent candidate is each party's strongest recruit?

[JRP1994]

My vote:

Democrats: Michelle Nunn
Republicans: Cory Gardner

[ElectionsGuy]

^ Agreed, for weakest:

D's: Braley
R's: Tillis

[Flake]

My vote:

Democrats: Michelle Nunn
Republicans: Cory Gardner

I agree with this as well.

^ Agreed, for weakest:

D's: Braley
R's: Tillis

I'd say the weakest Democrat is Tennant, but Braley is a close second.

[Miles]

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Yep.

However:

D's: Braley or Bellows
R's: Tillis

Braley perhaps but not Bellows. Collins would have scared off any high-tier Dems. Bellows is better than a Some Dude.

I'd also throw in Land, only because I expected to make her race closer than it is now.

[RogueBeaver]

D: Michelle Nunn
R: Shelley Moore Capito

[IceSpear]

Strongest D: Alison Lundergan Grimes (KY is much more inhospitable for Dems than GA, and she's still keeping it close)
Strongest R: Cory Gardner (He's run a pretty strong campaign)

Weakest D: Bruce Braley (no comment needed)
Weakest R: Mike Rounds (no comment needed)

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Strongest D: Michelle Nunn
Strongest R: Cory Gardner

Weakest D: Natalie Tenant
Weakest R: Scott Brown

[tpfkaw]

Best D: Orman (if he counts) or otherwise Nunn
Best R: Capito

Worst D: Braley or Tennant (although I'd hesitate to give it to her because she'd certainly be losing badly even if she had run a good campaign)
Worst R: Wehby

[Potus]

The right answer is:

D: Nunn
R: Shelley Capito

Gardner is our second best recruit this cycle.

[IceSpear]

Can Capito really be considered the best R? Don't get me wrong, she's run a good campaign, but I have a strong feeling that any non nutjob Republican would be dominating the race too (same reason I wouldn't give Tennant the worst, no Democrat could successfully go against that tide).

[tpfkaw]

Can Capito really be considered the best R? Don't get me wrong, she's run a good campaign, but I have a strong feeling that any non nutjob Republican would be dominating the race too (same reason I wouldn't give Tennant the worst, no Democrat could successfully go against that tide).

Capito is a first-class recruit because she made Rockefeller (who would probably have won) retire and kept Rahall (who might've made it competitive) out.

[tmthforu94]

Weakest R: Scott Brown

Explain. Brown is doing far better than Smith or Rubens would be doing. Despite being an obvious carpetbagger he has been able to go from being down high single-digits a couple months ago to within the margin of error. While his chances are still below 50%, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that he wins on election night.

[user12345]

Strongest D: Michelle Nunn or Alison Lundergan Grimes
Strongest R: Cory Gardner

[free my dawg]

Weakest R: Scott Brown

Explain. Brown is doing far better than Smith or Rubens would be doing. Despite being an obvious carpetbagger he has been able to go from being down high single-digits a couple months ago to within the margin of error. While his chances are still below 50%, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that he wins on election night.

Yeah, I don't quite know why you can say Brown is worse than Tillis or Rounds (who's actually doing the exact opposite that Brown's done).

[Miles]

Goods points about Capito.

I still say Gardner because, while he was a great recruit in his own right, his candidacy had a big impact on the overarching narrative of this cycle. When he got in, it showed that Republicans really were 'expanding the playing field.'

[Eraserhead]

Grimes for "strongest"? Come on guys.

[IceSpear]

Grimes for "strongest"? Come on guys.

Why not? Just because the media wants to pretend that her not saying who she voted for is the biggest scandal since Watergate doesn't mean it actually is.

[Flake]

Grimes for "strongest"? Come on guys.

Why not? Just because the media wants to pretend that her not saying who she voted for is the biggest scandal since Watergate doesn't mean it actually is.

It's not even that.  Her campaign has been very weak so far and she's too inexperienced to run for a race this high profile.

[Bacon King]

Nunn and Capito Moore

[Bigby]

Strongest D: Grimes (Only after the "Who did you vote for?" ordeal did she begin to fumble.)
Strongest R: Gardner (Perceived as moderate and reasonable on the only issue Udall has campaigned on. I wish he was running in Georgia.....)

Weakest D: Udall (Considering the Udall dynasty is supposed to be an experienced one, his sudden collapse makes him look even more foolish. Braley is a close second.)
Weakest R: Rounds (I'd say Roberts, but it now looks like Roberts will survive while Rounds won't.)

[nolesfan2011]

Best:
D: Matt Silverstein (OK) Seems weird but he's over performed how Dems should do in OK, Dem recruits are all poor this year honestly
R: Shelly Moore Capito (WV) She's crushing her female opponent in a state that has voted Dem before, and it's almost a sure pickup of a Dem held seat, critical female recruit for them given the whole "war on women" narrative.

Worst
D: Braley (IA) I like him personally but what a disaster of a campaign... he shouldn't lose but he may well
R: Mike Rounds (SD) Yes it's a Dem held seat but his poor campaign has made this race competitive when it really shouldn't be

[dmmidmi]

Strongest D: Michelle Nunn
Strongest R: Cory Gardner or Shelly Moore Capito

Weakest D: Bruce Braley
Weakest R: Mike Rounds, I guess

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Weakest R: Scott Brown

Explain. Brown is doing far better than Smith or Rubens would be doing. Despite being an obvious carpetbagger he has been able to go from being down high single-digits a couple months ago to within the margin of error. While his chances are still below 50%, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that he wins on election night.

Yeah, I don't quite know why you can say Brown is worse than Tillis or Rounds (who's actually doing the exact opposite that Brown's done).

New Hampshire fluctuates ridiculously with the national mood; a non-joke candidate would be leading by about 5-6%.