Broad overview of Candidates

As the November presidential election is coming up and President Obama’s approval rating is increasing, the Republican Party is hard at work trying to find the best candidate. Seven candidates emerged in late 2011, but after several primaries and caucuses only four have are still running for the Republican nomination in August. They are: former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and U.S. Representative Dr. Ron Paul. The two front runners are Romney and Santorum, but with it could still be anyone’s game, especially since more than half the states have not had either their primaries or conventions. While many of the primaries and conventions are only open to registered Republican Party members, it is important for everyone to know who might run the country for the next four years.

The current from runner is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Romney currently has 40% of the popular vote and 464 bound delegates. He is projected to have 563 delegates, which would make his chances of receiving the nomination very high. However, his contradicting nature and lack of touch with the “everyday” American could cause him many problems and ultimately cost him the nomination or presidency.

Former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum is in second place with 28% of the popular vote and 205 bound delegates. His projected delegates are 262, which is 300 less than Romney, which puts Santorum very behind his biggest competitor. But, Santorum has something that Romney does not have, and that is likability. Rick Santorum is able to connect with people, because he comes across as one of them, which could lead to him winning the nominations, because most people vote based on likability.