Presidential Power Rankings- #1

January 3, 2007

Welcome to a new weekly feature at CG Politics.

This is the inaugural edition of the 2008 Presidential Power Rankings.

Once a week (typically on Wednesdays), I will rank the top contenders in both parties by the likelihood of their managing to capture their party’s Presidential nomination *as of the present time*. From week to week, I will make note of any changes in the standings.

As events warrant and as candidates drop out of the sweepstakes, the list will be narrowed to a smaller amount of candidates, but as of now, I want to be as inclusive as possible for both parties.

For now, we will start off with a lucky 13 in both parties. Is there anybody who you think I should include in the rankings?

As always, I welcome your comments on these rankings and how the Presidential campaign is shaping up, particularly as it related to the previous week’s developments.

First, (and because I like to save the best for last), the Democrats:

1. Hillary Rodham Clinton
2. Barack Obama
3. John Edwards
4. Al Gore
5. Bill Richardson
6. Tom Vilsack
7. Joe Biden
8. Chris Dodd
9. John Kerry
10. Dennis Kucinich
11. Wes Clark
12. Mark Warner
13. Mike Gravel

The Grand Old Party:

1. John McCain
2. Mitt Romney
3. Rudy Giuliani
4. Mike Huckabee
5. Sam Brownback
6. Newt Gingrich
7. Tommy Thompson
8. Frank Keating
9. George Pataki
10. Jim Gilmore
11. Chuck Hagel
12. Duncan Hunter
13. John Cox