What you should know as the 2016 field forms

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IBD:

ANDREW MALCOLM

01/15/2015

 

Have you noticed? American presidential campaigns are getting longer and longer. Sen. John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy on Jan. 3, 1960, only 310 days before the election. William Clinton announced his candidacy on Oct. 3, 1991, 397 days before the vote.

George W. Bush unveiled his presidential candidacy about 510 days before the 2000 election. Mitt Romney made his bid official 523 ahead of the Nov. 6, 2012 vote. And Barack Obama gave himself fully 633 campaign days before the 2008 balloting.

 

Today, we are 663 days out from the 2016 election. And no one has officially announced. But in recent weeks with both party's nomination up for grabs, we've seen a flurry of candidate preparatory activity. And the pace is only going to quicken.

 

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Like the best of the Republican bench, the personable Bush has a successful two terms as governor, running Florida well and fiscally sound. He'll have early trouble with his pro-positions on immigration and education reform.

But after Obama's say-one-thing-then-do-another-and-promise-anything, a positive candidate who explains and sticks by his guns may look refreshing.

And unlike his father and brother, Jeb seems to genuinely enjoy retail politics, which is what the crucial primary/caucus season is all about in insignificant places like New Hampshire and Iowa.

 

 

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Not everyone visibly preparing now will end up running or lasting long. But Govs. Rick Perry and Scott Walker will be in the mix with strong state-level conservative records on jobs, taxes, unions and for Perry combating Washington's bureaucracy and illegal immigration. Watch for them to show up at early Iowa events, along with Bobby Jindal and Chris Christie.

 

If Americans have failed to learn the lesson about blindly electing a freshmen federal legislator to an executive-level job, they may like one of several Republican senators offering themselves -- Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. Each has been and will be making the speaking circuit because who doesn't want to be in Iowa or New Hampshire in winter?

 

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