Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee all will be announcing that they are running for President.
Carson made his announcement Sunday, perhaps with a slip of the tongue. His official announcement is today via YouTube.
Fiorina also announced this morning on Good Morning America:
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Huckabee also should announce tomorrow.
The issue of the three in the race was discussed on Fox News Sunday (starting at 4:55 in the video)
So what does it mean? Here’s my initial take.
Ben Carson is running on a “Heal Inspire Revive” theme, a very spiritual approach. He is a great guy, but will have to overcome perceptions that he is not a viable candidate. When I saw his speech at Cornell, he certainly was impressive. There is a huge desire on behalf of many to want him to be better prepared for a national campaign, so if he surprises maybe he’ll have upside. But I’m not expecting it, as he will have a hard time expanding beyond his already sizable group of core supporters.
Huckabee is someone I’ve never understood as a candidate. He’s a very good speaker, unusually good, but I’m not sure how far that gets you in 2016. He will appeal to evangelicals, but I’m not sure he has broad appeal outside that base. He’s also such a known figure, I think it’s hard for him to have a lot of upside potential. But I don’t underestimate his political gift at all.
(video added)
Fiorina is someone I previously stated I thought was running for Vice President (same feeling about Bobby Jindal) whether she knows it or not. Her approach to the campaign is more business-like. She has over-performed on the stump, mostly by going straight at Hillary. She has the experience of running for office in California, and while she lost to Barbara Boxer and it wasn’t a national race, it still would be valuable. She’ll have to defend her record at HP — but all candidates have to defend their records. There is just an intangible about her that gives me the sense that she has a lot of upside potential. The question is whether that upside may be filling the role traditionally played by a V.P. candidate of being the one to take it to the Democratic Presidential nominee. As the foil to Hillary, the stars may be in alignment.
(video added)
With the GOP candidate crowd expanding, will we have a dozen or more people on stage for the first debates in the fall?
I hope not. But getting on stage and getting national air time may be what the three people who are announcing this week need.
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