SC PrimR: Rasmussen: Huckabee now first, Romney and Thompson tied for second

[Tender Branson]

New Poll: South Carolina President by Rasmussen on 2007-12-04

Summary: Giuliani: 12%, McCain: 9%, Romney: 18%, Thompson, F: 18%, Other: 31%, Undecided: 12%

Poll Source URL: Full Poll Details

[Tender Branson]

Huckabee: 25%

[AndrewTX]

I would die a happy man if the endorsment of Chuck Norris and  Ric Flair is the this bump.

[Josh/Devilman88]

Go Huckabee!

[Eraserhead]

The Obamentum and Huckmentum can't seem to be stopped.

[Mr. Morden]

We've now had 5 different frontrunners in SC polls this year.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Rudy has lost that much recently in SC? Huckabee is screwing up everything. For the first time, I am worried for Rudy. I just dont think Huckabee will win the general against Clinton or Obama. He wont carry the moderate votes.

[Bay Ridge, Bklyn! Born and Bred]

My, my.   And the plot thickens....

[MODU]

Rudy has lost that much recently in SC? Huckabee is screwing up everything. For the first time, I am worried for Rudy. I just dont think Huckabee will win the general against Clinton or Obama. He wont carry the moderate votes.

That makes you wonder . . . would Huckabee ever pick Rudy to be his VP?

[Erc]

Rudy has lost that much recently in SC? Huckabee is screwing up everything. For the first time, I am worried for Rudy. I just dont think Huckabee will win the general against Clinton or Obama. He wont carry the moderate votes.

That makes you wonder . . . would Huckabee ever pick Rudy to be his VP?

Probably not...too many skeletons in the closet, plus Rudy probably wouldn't accept (he'd probably prefer making money in the private sector)

Who would Huckabee pick?  The ideal candidate would be a solid fiscal conservative with foreign policy credentials who isn't from the South or the Bush Administration.  However, it doesn't seem like any of those exist, so here's a possible list:

Mark Sanford:  good reputation as a fiscal conservative, though he's also a Southern Governor
Romney:  He's not going to appeal to many and has his own problems--only a consideration if Romney & Huck duke it out past Super Tuesday.
Pawlenty: a moderate from Minnesota
Bill Owens: maybe?

All of the above are governors, who are pretty rare choices for VP (that said, Senators aren't too common either, with only Bob Dole & Dan Quayle being VP picks in recent memory).

It's hard to think of a good Senator pick--Dick Lugar would be ideal, if he weren't 75.  John McCain, John Warner, & John Danforth would be great picks (especially Danforth), but they're all too old (and Danforth probably would refuse the job).

Kit Bond & Judd Gregg are both solid if uninspiring Senators.
Kay Bailey Hutchison would be an unimpeachable female candidate (might be useful against Hillary), and would be seen as something of a moderate.

As for Representatives...Mike Pence is thought of highly by some, though I've never seen the appeal.
J.C. Watts...would be seen as simply pandering to race, especially if Obama's the nominee.

[StateBoiler]

Rudy has lost that much recently in SC? Huckabee is screwing up everything. For the first time, I am worried for Rudy. I just dont think Huckabee will win the general against Clinton or Obama. He wont carry the moderate votes.

That makes you wonder . . . would Huckabee ever pick Rudy to be his VP?

I agree with Erc, VP is not the type of job I can see Giuliani wanting.

[Mr. Morden]

All of the above are governors, who are pretty rare choices for VP (that said, Senators aren't too common either, with only Bob Dole & Dan Quayle being VP picks in recent memory).

Ummm....Mondale, Bentsen, Gore, Lieberman, Edwards?  Every major party VP pick from 1976 to 2004 was either a current or former member of one or both houses of Congress.  There were no governors.  I really have a hard time seeing why Huckabee (who himself doesn't have any Washington experience or foreign policy experience) would break that trend and pick a governor for VP who also has no Washington or foreign policy experience, especially in an election in which foreign policy is likely to play a big role.

I think Hutchison would be pretty ideal for Huckabee.....though that's a lot of syllables on one ticket: Huckabee/Hutchison?

[Erc]

As for the Senators line, I meant amongst Republicans, where there is a long and storied tradition of picking people who are neither Governors nor Senators:  Dick Cheney, Jack Kemp, George Bush, Bill Miller.

Democrats don't do that nearly as often, picking Senators pretty much exclusively.  Excepting the horrid pick of Geraldine Ferraro, the Democrats haven't picked a non-Senator since Henry Wallace in 1940.


As for Huckabee's pick, it really depends on who he thinks he needs to reach out to.  If he needs to appease the Republican fiscal-conservative base, a Jack Kemp-like pick might work (Sanford being a possible option).  If he needs to reach out to moderates on social issues, he might pick someone like Hutchison.  If he needs foreign policy credentials, then it's a bit tough.  He doesn't want to look like he's picking a second Dick Cheney, and picking one of the septuagenarian Senators runs its own risks (questions of age and health, plus worries about the Lloyd Bentsen effect).

[Padfoot]

I think Arlen Specter would be a good VP pick for Huckabee if he is looking to go anti-Bush and appeal to moderates.  I don't think Specter would accept though, and there is still the age issue which many people have already mentioned.

[Cubby]

That makes you wonder . . . would Huckabee ever pick Rudy to be his VP?

Probably not...too many skeletons in the closet, plus Rudy probably wouldn't accept (he'd probably prefer making money in the private sector)

Who would Huckabee pick?  The ideal candidate would be a solid fiscal conservative with foreign policy credentials who isn't from the South or the Bush Administration.  However, it doesn't seem like any of those exist, so here's a possible list:

Mark Sanford:  good reputation as a fiscal conservative, though he's also a Southern Governor
Romney:  He's not going to appeal to many and has his own problems--only a consideration if Romney & Huck duke it out past Super Tuesday.
Pawlenty: a moderate from Minnesota
Bill Owens: maybe?

All of the above are governors, who are pretty rare choices for VP (that said, Senators aren't too common either, with only Bob Dole & Dan Quayle being VP picks in recent memory).

It's hard to think of a good Senator pick--Dick Lugar would be ideal, if he weren't 75.  John McCain, John Warner, & John Danforth would be great picks (especially Danforth), but they're all too old (and Danforth probably would refuse the job).

Kit Bond & Judd Gregg are both solid if uninspiring Senators.
Kay Bailey Hutchison would be an unimpeachable female candidate (might be useful against Hillary), and would be seen as something of a moderate.

As for Representatives...Mike Pence is thought of highly by some, though I've never seen the appeal.
J.C. Watts...would be seen as simply pandering to race, especially if Obama's the nominee.

Huckabee/Hutchinson would be a hilarious ticket. They could have Larry the Cable Guy as their secretary of state and Jim Varney as their Attorney General.

Pawlenty and Owens are good choices. Olympia Snowe would certainly decline. Susan Collins would be about as good as the Northeast could offer at this point, but she's facing a tough re-election fight, and wouldn't want to hand another seat to the Dems.

George Voinovich? I don't know how old he is.
Chuck Hagel?  That would help improve the ticket for moderates and independents.
Oh my god! What about Rick Santorum?

See its hard to think of any Republican moderates to balance Huckabee with, because everyone under 60 in the GOP is a right wing Evangelical (or so it seems). Lugar, John Warner, Specter, etc. All the good ones are getting on in years.

[Floridude]

In terms of history, the oldest vice president ever was Alben Barkley, who was 71 when he was innaugerated in 1949, so I guess this doesnt utterly throw out some of the older people.

Huckabee's problem would be that he has to choose someone with soild foreign policy credentials, but that person can't (or shouldnt) overshadow him in the campaign.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

In terms of history, the oldest vice president ever was Alben Barkley, who was 71 when he was innaugerated in 1949, so I guess this doesnt utterly throw out some of the older people.

Huckabee's problem would be that he has to choose someone with soild foreign policy credentials, but that person can't (or shouldnt) overshadow him in the campaign.

I think Huckabee, being so little-known, yet popular would be overshadowed by most people who he'd need to help.

[Mr. Morden]

Who would Huckabee pick?  The ideal candidate would be a solid fiscal conservative with foreign policy credentials who isn't from the South or the Bush Administration.

Well, I still think Hutchison makes the most sense, and also (in response to Pim Fortuyn) I don't think his running mate would *have* to be someone who's under 60.  I don't see why mid-60s is necessarily too old.

However, one slightly unconventional choice who might be interesting, who's under 60, continues the GOP trend of VP candidates who've never been a governor or senator, and meets most of the criteria you mention above is SEC Chairman (and former Rep. from California) Chris Cox.

Served in the House for 16 years, much of that time in the leadership, was involved in a lot of legislation on economics, but also has a bit of national security experience, in that he spent some time as chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and chairman of the Select Committee on US National Security.