Just as the dems are trying to recover from the midterm ‘shellacking’, Republicans are gearing up to extend that shellacking all the way to the White House. Chris Cillizza, from the “The Fix“, reminds us who the most capable ‘shellacker’ is in his latest presidential power ranking line-up. Mitt Romney maintains the top position as most influential leader within the Republican party heading into the 2012 primaries.

“These rankings come from conversations with a variety of Republican strategists — those aligned with potential candidates and those not — as well as an analysis of fundraising potential, quality of staff, name identification, organizational ability and natural on-the-stump talent.

Here is what he had to say about Mitt Romney:

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, spent the entire 2008 cycle trying to win over skeptics with a be-everywhere-do-everything, Energizer Bunny sort of approach to the presidential race. His style in advance of the 2012 race has been strikingly different; Romney has picked his issues — economic ones, mostly — carefully and avoided wading into every fight with President Obama or intraparty squabble. The goal seems clear: to make Romney look like the adult in the room. And, to date, it’s worked well — establishing him as a candidate of serious purposes who won’t be distracted by the shiny objects thrown in front of him. Romney also has, by far, the most intricate and able political and financial organization in the race — a machine that can instantly be turned on whenever he decides to announce for president. Challenges remain, most notably explaining to Republican primary voters why the healthcare bill he passed in Massachusetts is different from what Congress passed earlier this year.

Here is some video analysis:

h/t: Right Wingnut

Here is the full list of those that made the top ten:
1. Mitt Romney 2. Sarah Palin 3. Tim Pawlenty 4. Haley Barbour 5. John Thune
6. Newt Gingrich 7. Mitch Daniels 8. Mike Huckabee 9. Mike Pence 10. Marco Rubio

*The top five are pictured up above in order of their rank.

Republican candidate Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds who are looking to become the next govenor and lieutenant governor of Iowa are kicking off a week long “Road To Victory” tour that will be visiting 36 cities in that state starting on October 26, 2010.  Governor Barbour, Jindal, McDonnell, Pawlenty and Mitt Romney will  make a few appearances in Iowa to lend support for Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds.  These events are open to the public.  People who wish to attend are encouraged to RSVP by calling 515-276-2266.

The busy tour schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

10 a.m.   
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds Linn county “Road to Victory” rally with Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. nominee Kim Reynolds
The Hotel at Kirkwood
7725 Kirkwood Blvd. S.W.
Cedar Rapids, IA

Noon
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds Dubuque county “Road to Victory” rally with Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. nominee Kim Reynolds
Grand River Center
500 Bell St.
Dubuque, IA

5:30 p.m.
Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. nominee Kim Reynolds attend the Scott County GOP Reagan Dinner featuring Gov. Mitt Romney
Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center
2021 State St.
Bettendorf, IA

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

11 a.m.         
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell hold Jasper county “Road to Victory” rally with Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. nominee Kim Reynolds
Jasper County Republican Headquarters
107 1st Ave. W.
Newton, IA

Before presidential candidates declare for 2012, as well as in the infant months of their actual campaigning, there will be a plethora of too-early-to-mean-anything-but-it-could-bode-well polls. My fingers balk at continually typing ‘this poll is too early to mean anything but it could bode well’. Thus, I came up with an acronym to streamline the task when referring to early Romney-favoring polls: PIC-BIG (Preliminary Inclination Count – But It’s Good).

The latest PIC-BIG poll from Gallup shows Governor Romney leading the pack of GOP presidential potentials for 2012:

Romney, who garners 19 percent of support, leads Sarah Palin (16 percent) and Mike Huckabee (12 percent). Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich polled fourth with 9 percent.

Among those further down the list are Rep. Ron Paul with 7 percent; Tim Pawlenty and Haley Barbour received 3 percent. See more details here.

Not bad for Gov Romney – especially since every major potential Republican presidential candidate not currently in office – except Romney – has deals (and face time) with FOX News.

PIC-BIG.

Mitt Romney 2012.

► Jayde Wyatt

The McClatchy-Marist Poll reveals Mitt Romney is the number ONE preferred GOP candidate for president 2012.

WASHINGTON Tue, Sept 21, 2010— Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the early front-runner among potential Republican candidates for president in 2012, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.

While former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin commands the national spotlight, turning out tea party activists and headlining rallies, for now it’s Romney who claims the lead at 25 percent, months before an official field takes shape. Palin, GOP nominee John McCain’s 2008 running mate, took second with 18 percent.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tied for third place with 16 percent. Finishing out the pack were Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty with 6 percent, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels with 4 percent and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour with 2 percent.
[...]

[...]“The fact Romney’s doing this well and Palin is not dominating are both very interesting.”

Voters who call themselves conservative preferred Romney to Palin. So did self-described supporters of the tea party movement; 25 percent preferred Romney and 19 percent Palin.

The poll found Romney’s strongest appeal among college graduates and voters in Western states, while Palin did better with voters who don’t have college degrees, voters younger than 30 and voters from the South. Both did well with voters from the Northeast.

Palin’s weakest demographic in the primary preference poll — and Romney’s strongest — was independent women. Just 11 percent of independent women favored Palin; 33 percent favored Romney.

Regionally, Romney was weakest in the South, a problem that’s lingered since 2008. For now, 15 percent of southern Republicans and Republican-leaning independents favor Romney while 21 percent prefer Palin, and Gingrich and Huckabee each have 19 percent support.

Non-college grads slightly favored Palin, with Romney close behind. College grads voiced a clear preference for Romney — 29 percent — followed by Gingrich at 21 percent. In a potentially ominous sign for Palin, just 11 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents with college degrees preferred her.
[...]

These poll numbers are interesting because Gov Romney hasn’t been a constant in the public eye via political talk shows or talk radio due to his behind-the-scenes sweat to help conservatives for the mid-terms. Though Romney is mum on a possible run for the White House, we hope these stats nudge him a little more in that direction.

Looking ahead…

Gov Romney is in the swing of his 25-state tour to lend muscle to conservative candidates before the mid-terms. Besides releasing endorsements for Rhode Island and NewYork on Monday (Sept 20), Gov Romney spent a whirlwind day in New York campaigning for GOP hopefuls and delivered a keynote speech later that evening at an annual GOP dinner. On Tuesday (Sept 21), his Free and Strong America PAC released Kansas endorsements. This Saturday, Sept 25th, Romney will be keynoting New Hampshire’s GOP state party convention and fundraising for NH gubernatorial nominee John Stephen. On October 1st, Romney will join Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott for a Scott for a “Leadership for Florida” rally.

Romney’s get-up-and-go for conservative gains is hard to keep up with! Who knows where he’ll pop up next?

(Poll – hat tip/Frank)

► Jayde Wyatt

Chris Cillizza, from the “The Fix“, once again ranks Mitt Romney as one of the most influential leaders within the Republican party.

Here is what he had to say about Mitt Romney:

Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor, who has been among the most prolific endorsers among potential 2012 candidates, is now backing candidates in more than half of all 50 states – a milestone that speaks to the strong groundwork Romney is laying for his all-but-certain presidential bid. Romney’s refusal to get mixed up in the controversy over the proposed Islamic center near ground zero – and his unyielding focus on the economic issues – demonstrate his keen political acumen and his realization that the economy remains the main concern for voters this cycle, and likely beyond.

Here is the full list of those that made the top ten:
1. Haley Barbour 2. Sarah Palin 3. Mitt Romney 4. Tim Pawlenty 5. John Boehner 6. John Cornyn 7. JIm DeMint 8. Mitch Daniels 9. Mike Huckabee 10. Pete Sessions

The top five are pictured up above in order of their rank.

Mitt Romney’s ability to raise money and his dependability to share it with candidates he believes in is nothing short of impressive. His patriotic passion is causing him to wear out shoe leather to help America regain her conservative, constitutional bearings come mid-term elections this fall:

Fund-raising lifts Romney’s 2012 prospects

Total eclipses money taken in by foes’ PACs

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney has raised nearly $3.5 million for his political action committee in the first half of the year, a sum that dwarfs other possible 2012 Republican presidential candidates and establishes the former Massachusetts governor as a potent political force.

The figures, which will be reported today to the Federal Election Commission, demonstrate the robust national political operation that Romney has assembled since leaving the governor’s mansion in 2007 and point toward the likelihood he will launch another presidential campaign.

Romney’s political action committee — called Free and Strong America PAC —raised more than twice as much as any other presumed 2012 Republican contender with a similar committee, includ ing former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, the only one who matches Romney’s methodical preparations for a race that will begin in earnest next year.

In an effort to expand his base, Romney has redistributed about $400,000 of the money to other Republican causes and candidates, including large sums to gubernatorial nominees in politically crucial states: $42,000 to Nikki Haley in South Carolina, $20,000 to Terry Branstad in Iowa, and $10,000 to Rick Perry in Texas.

“We’ve been able to raise a lot of money and give out a lot of money, but we’re not done yet,’’ said Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney adviser. “We’re still in the process of identifying races where we can make a difference, so we will remain active until Election Day.’’

The impressive fund-raising totals are not surprising, given Romney’s connections and capabilities, said Corwin D. Smidt, a Michigan State University political scientist who studies fund-raising networks. But what is more important, he said, is “how he is able to capitalize on these resources and branch out to other contributors who are not solidly in his camp.’’

[...]

For former national candidates such as Romney and Palin, PACs offer a temporary fund-raising structure to use between campaigns. The success of the PACs hints at a politician’s fund-raising prowess in anticipation of a 2012 presidential race that will probably require hundreds of millions of dollars.

Palin’s committee, called SarahPAC, has raised about $1.3 million so far this year, the bulk of it in the second quarter. Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi raised $278,000 for his Haley’s PAC through the end of May. (The latest filings are not yet due). Pawlenty will report that the Freedom First PAC he launched last fall has taken in about $1.3 million this year, according to a spokesman.

Newt Gingrich, former House speaker, has raised $72,000 for his American Solutions PAC, in addition to $3.4 million for a different kind of committee, called a 527 group, that can raise with few limits but is prohibited from interacting directly with candidates or parties. (One Texas oil company gave Gingrich a single contribution of $100,000 this spring.)

…According to a draft summary of a campaign finance report provided to the Globe, Romney has significantly increased his fund-raising metabolism this year, raising more in the first six months of 2010 than he did in all of 2009.

Most of Romney’s money came through events (including one at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel in May that netted $1 million) and personal appeals to major donors, including those from professional fund-raising consultants. The remainder, according to an aide, arrived through smaller contributions online, via direct mail, or through telemarketing.

Read more here.

Political strategist Karl Rove said in a FOX News interview yesterday that the most important thing to do to help Republican candidates this fall is to raise/donate money to help them NOW. We know that money donated to Romney’s PAC is money well spent. Click here to help Mitt!

Top Influential Republicans

Chris Cillizza, from the “The Fix“, once again ranks Mitt Romney as one of the most influential voices within the Republican party. Here is what he had to say about Mitt’s recent activities:

The former Massachusetts governor is slowly and methodically rolling out endorsements in state after state, acting like what he is: the current frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination. Romney still has questions to answer: Can he empathize with voters distressed about the economy? Will he compete in Iowa? But there are fewer unknowns surrounding Romney than anyone else looking at the race.

Here is the full list of those that made the top ten:
1. Haley Barbour 2. Mitt Romney 3. Sarah Palin 4. Chris Christie 5. Tim Pawlenty 6. Scott Brown 7. Newt Gingrich 8. Nikki Haley 9. Bobby Jindal 10. Mike Huckabee

The top five are pictured up above in order of their rank.

P.S. There is a poll at the end of the post. I suggest that you go vote.

Interesting results from GOP insiders point to Romney as ‘most likely to win the party’s WH nomination.’

From nationaljournal.com

In a survey of 109 party leaders, political professionals and pundits, Palin finished 5th on the list of candidates most likely to win the party’s ’12 WH nomination. Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) was the overwhelming choice of the Voters were asked to rank 5 candidates in the order of likeliness to capture the GOP nod.

The results:
Likely To Win WH’12 Nomination (First place votes)
Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney 81 (62%)
MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty 46 (9%)
Sen. John Thune 38 (12%)
MS Gov. Haley Barbour 28 (6%)
IN Gov. Mitch Daniels 25
Ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin 25

Rounding out the top 10: Ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, ex-AR Gov. Mike Huckabee, ex-FL Gov. Jeb Bush, LA Gov. Bobby Jindal. Candidates other than Romney, Pawlenty, Thune and Barbour split the remaining 11% of first-place votes.

Meanwhile, Dem insiders too think Romney is the most likely candidate to run against Pres. Obama next year. The results, from interviews with 111 Dem insiders:

Likely To Win WH’12 Nomination
Romney 29%
Thune 15
Pawlenty 13
Daniels 11
Gingrich 6

Good news for our man, Mitt!

Update by Nate: Here is the link to the actual survey question and methodology by Nation Journal. (Click here) There’s a lot of interesting info there for the over curious. Here’s the methology:

All 127 Republicans among National Journal’s Political Insiders were asked to name and rank the top five contenders for their party’s 2012 presidential nomination; 109 participated. In tallying the rankings, a first-place vote was worth 5 points, a second-place vote 4 points, and so on. The Insiders Index reflects the percentage of points that each contender received out of the maximum possible. For example, Mitt Romney scored an Index rating of 81, meaning he received 81 percent of the possible 545 points, the number he would have had if all 109 participants had ranked him first.

Behind the rankings:
Percent of first-place votes
Romney 62%
Thune 12%
Pawlenty 9%
Barbour 6%
Others 11%

Percent of second-place votes
Pawlenty 22%
Romney 18%
Thune 15%
Barbour 13%
Palin 9%
Daniels 8%
Gingrich 6%
Others 9%

Also of note, the names of all those who participated in the poll…
Read more…

Governor Mitt Romney is among the speakers invited to address the NRA leadership Forum which is scheduled for May 15 in Phoenix. Other speakers include LA Gov. Bobby Jindal, OK Rep. Dan Boren, Newt Gingrich, Marcus Luttrell, Mike Huckabee, SD Sen. John Thune, NC Rep. Heath Shuler, MS Gov. Haley Barbour, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, and Oliver North.

CORRECTION:

Click here for info.

More info and the correct registration here.

Hope I got it right that time.

~Nate G.