List your preferred GOP primary field

[Reginald]

Going off this thread, but in a (presumably) different direction. Using whatever metric you feel like (meaningful competition, trainwreck-potential, etc.), what list of candidates do you want in the Republican primary and in the debates? Try to keep it within reason. Meaning, limited to people who may actually run.

Personally I want a bloodbath featuring higher quality candidates than '12. So my list is as follows:

1. Bush
2. Romney
3. Christie
4. Cruz
5. Paul
6. Carson
7. Santorum or some other socon has-been

Here I think you’d have Jeb and Mitt as the frontrunners, maybe with Paul right behind, though with a lower ceiling. Christie and Cruz have potential, but would have to hope for a fortunate opening, to say the least. Then Carson and the socon could serve as the less polished bomb-throwers who have no real chance of the nom. Each of these people would have their own bases of support that could sustain them for a while, I’d think. Can’t decide whether or not adding Walker here would qualify as diminishing returns. Rubio/Kasich/Jindal/Perry are all filler imo. Then again, I also wonder if an all-out clown car would be more beneficial for Dems than a slimmer (lol) field of 6-7 people.

What does your list look like?

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Perry is not filler. He's the prime candidate to bring some hilarity to the debates. I want them all to run (though I feel like Jindal might be boring - some of the evolution/biology student stuff could be funny).

[pikachu]

Bush
Romney
Paul
Carson
Cruz
Christie
Walker
Santorum
Huckabee
Perry
Graham
Rubio
Jindal

Honestly, I think that most of these people are electable and the GOP has decent shot as long as they don't nominate someone who sounds crazy. So I just want a complete train wreck primary with constant lead changes like in 2012, except without Romney being the stable leader. Also, hilarious debates with 13 candidates would a plus.

[Reginald]

Perry is not filler. He's the prime candidate to bring some hilarity to the debates.

Eh, perhaps. I just think that he'll have undergone thorough conditioning in the event that he makes a go at it, so as not to make a complete fool of himself yet again.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Perry is not filler. He's the prime candidate to bring some hilarity to the debates.

Eh, perhaps. I just think that he'll have undergone thorough conditioning in the event that he makes a go at it.

"Gov. Perry, interesting that you choose to jump in to criticize President Obama's overreaching. How are you qualified to be President while facing charges for abusing power in your previous executive role?"

Yeah, he might have a conditioned response, but I think there will be at the very minimum, a moment of being stunned before he goes off in that accent of his at some pooint.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Rand Paul
John Kasich

They would have a strong, healthy debate about the role of government, and I think I could live with either one of them as the nominee.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

Rand Paul
Ben Carson

[LeBron]

Ben Carson
Rick Santorum
Mike Huckabee
Ted Cruz
Bobby Jindal
Michele Bachmann
Rick Perry
Rick Scott

[VPH]

1. Ben Carson
2. Rick Perry
3. Rand Paul
4. Ted Cruz

Super train wreck time!

[IceSpear]

Ted Cruz
Michele Bachmann
Donald Trump
Ben Carson
Lindsey Graham
Herman Cain
Rick Santorum
Rick Perry
Rick Scott
Sarah Palin

[OpinionatedGuy]

The election junkie in me would prefer a clown car Republican primary to make up for the upcoming very boring Democrat primary.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Jeb Bush
Mitt Romney
Scott Walker
Chris Christie
Bobby Jindal
Sarah Palin
Ben Carson
Ted Cruz
Rand Paul
Mike Huckabee
Rick Perry
Rick Santorum
Lindsay Graham
Donald Trump

[stegosaurus]

Romney
Bush
Paul
Perry
Carson
Huckabee

All corners of the GOP represented with no mundane filler.

[AelroseB]

Rand Paul, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, and Scott Walker.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Christie
Sandoval
Kasich


That's it.

[Flake]

Ted Cruz
Michele Bachmann
Donald Trump
Ben Carson
Lindsey Graham
Herman Cain
Rick Santorum
Rick Perry
Rick Scott
Sarah Palin

(normal)

[BaconBacon96]

Mitt Romney
Jeb Bush
Scott Walker
Mike Huckabee
Ted Cruz
Rand Paul
Rick Santorum
Ben Carson
Donald Trump
Bobby Jindal
Sarah Palin
Ben Carson
Donald Trump
Rick Perry
Lindsey Graham
George Pataki
John Bolton

[RogueBeaver]

Chris Christie
Bobby Jindal
Rand Paul
Marco Rubio
Scott Walker

[Maxwell]

Rand Paul


And maybe Rob Portman

[RFayette]

Just a simple contrast of ideas, with no wingnuts, fundamentalists, or has-been establishment hacks. 

Rand Paul
Scott Walker
Brian Sandoval
Susanna Martinez
Rob Portman                 

Throw in Tim Scott and I think we'd have some good debates.

[MATTROSE94]

Jeb Bush
Mitt Romney
Chris Christie
Scott Walker
Rand Paul
Ted Cruz

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Rob Portman only.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Rand Paul (libertarians and economic conservatives)
Scott Walker (evangelicals)
Jon Huntsman (moderates and foreign policy)
Susan Martinez (education women and minorities)
Lindsey Graham( neocons "establishment candidate")

[Liberalrocks]

Sarah Palin
Ted Cruz
Rick Frothy Santorum
Rick Perry
Ben Carson
Michele Bachmann
Mike Huckabee
Rand Paul

[Reaganfan]

Bush
Christie
Kasich
Pence
Walker