UNITED STATES REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, 2008

(Redirected from Potential Republican candidates in the 2008 U.S. presidential election)

This article lists both declared and potential Republican candidates for the President of the United States in the 2008 election.
In accordance with the 22nd Amendment, incumbent President George W. Bush, a Republican, will not be eligible for re-election in 2008, and Vice President Dick Cheney has unequivocally stated that he will not seek the nomination and will not run for President.
Barring a reversal of Cheney's Sherman Statement, this will be the first time since the 1952 election that the incumbent party has put forth a candidate for President who is not currently President or Vice President. It is the first election since that of 1928 in which an incumbent President or Vice President has not sought either party's nomination (as Alben Barkley briefly did in 1952).

Contents

Candidates with national campaigns

Other candidates

Potential notable candidates without exploratory committees

Withdrawn from race

Declined to seek nomination

References

See also

External links

Candidates with national campaigns

Other candidates

These have filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

★ Hugh Cort, a physician in the practice of psychiatric medicine living in Mountain Brook, Alabama. [1] - announced January 21, 2005

★ John Cox of Illinois

★ David Ernst Furniss, businessman from Florida filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on April 6, 2007 and announced his candidacy on April 8, 2007 at St James Episcopal Church in Perry, Fl. [2]

★ Daniel Ayers Gilbert, businessman from North Carolina filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on March 27, 2007. ^[1]

★ Walter D. Kennedy has announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee [3]

★ Mark Klein is "testing the waters" for the 2008 GOP nomination. [4]

★ William Koenig, of www.watch.org announced July 2007 (Campaign Site)^[2]

★ Michael Charles Smith of Oregon ^[3]

★ Richard Michael Smith of Texas - announced April 2006.^[4]

★ Raymond L. McKinney of Georgia (Campaign Site)

★ Keith Sprankle, of Washington [5] filed papers with the Federal Election Commission.

★ Vern Wuensche of Texas, [6] a businessman and legal reformer filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on February 21, 2007

Potential notable candidates without exploratory committees

These are people who have not officially announced or formed an exploratory committee, but have either expressed interest in running or have been widely speculated about in the media.

'Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House'
Newt Gingrich, born June 17 1943 in Pennsylvania, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and former U.S. Representative from Georgia. According to the Associated Press, "The former House speaker who led Republicans to power a decade ago said he soon will visit Iowa and New Hampshire to promote his book, try to influence public policy and keep his political options alive." The AP reported him as saying "Anything seems possible," including a White House race. Gingrich first explicitly suggested he may run in 2008 on October 13, 2005, saying "There are circumstances where I will run", elaborating that such circumstances would be if no other candidate champions the major platform ideas that Gingrich advocates. However, he has since then said that the odds of his becoming a candidate are 4-to-1 against.^[5]

'Alan Keyes'
Alan Keyes, a Reagan administration diplomat and frequent political candidate, has stated that he will run if his supporters can demonstrate "sufficient grassroots support."^[6]

Withdrawn from race

Candidates who have withdrawn their candidacy
'Jim Gilmore former Governor of Virginia'(website)	A Draft Jim Gilmore for President group was formed in August of 2006, encouraging former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore to run for president after he was seen traveling to the presidential primary states. In November 2006, Gilmore told ABC News that a 2008 presidential run was one of several possibilities he is considering.[7] On December 19, 2006, Gilmore announced he was forming an exploratory committee for a presidential candidacy.[8] Gilmore announced on December 20, 2006, that he would launch his exploratory committee on January 2, 2007.[9] Perhaps hoping to mirror the surprising 2004 campaign of Democrat Howard Dean, another former governor with little national recognition when he entered the race, Gilmore declared that he represents "the Republican wing of the Republican Party" echoing the popular Dean quotation. Gilmore declared his candidacy from the Des Moines, Iowa GOP headquarters on April 26, 2007. Gilmore, however, raised a mere $380,000 in the first half of 2007, which he cited as a reason why he withdrew from the contest on July 14, 2007. [7]
'Tommy Thompson, former Governor of Wisconsin'(website)	Tommy Thompson, born November 19, 1941, in Elroy, Wisconsin, is the former four-term Governor of Wisconsin and was Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He recently announced interest in the 2008 nomination and, on December 15, 2006, announced that he had formed an exploratory committee.[10] He officially announced his candidacy on April 1, 2007.[11] After a poor showing in the August 11th Iowa Straw Poll, Tommy Thompson announced on the following day that he is withdrawing from the race.

Declined to seek nomination

'George Allen, former Senator'	In a survey of 175 Washington insiders conducted by ''National Journal's'' "The Hotline" and released April 29, 2005, George Allen was the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the 2008 presidential election.[12]Prior to his November loss to Jim Webb in the 2006 Virginia senatorial race, Allen had traveled a number of times to Iowa — the first state with a presidential caucus — and New Hampshire — the first state with a presidential primary). He had been widely assumed to be preparing a run for president.[13] On December 10, 2006, Allen gave an interview[14] in which he stated that he would not seek the 2008 nomination.
'Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida'	Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida; his family connections and history indicate that he may be next in line to continue the Bush family legacy, although his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, has stated that he will not seek the 2008 Republican nomination, and many analysts state that he would be a natural frontrunner for the Vice President slot on the Republican ticket. On January 27, 2007 as the keynote speaker at the National Review Institute's Conservative Summit in Washington, D.C. Bush denied rumors that he would run for President in 2008, but “when questioned did not rule out running as a vice presidential candidate.”[15]
'Vice President Dick Cheney'	Dick Cheney, current Vice President of the United States, has asserted his intent to not seek the 2008 nomination several times throughout the presidency of George W. Bush.In an interview on ''Fox News Sunday'', Cheney said, "I will say just as hard as I possibly know how to say... 'If nominated, I will not run,' 'If elected, I will not serve,' or not only no, but 'Hell no,' I've got my plans laid out. I'm going to serve this president for the next four years, and then I'm out of here."[16]
'Bill Frist, former Senate Majority Leader'	Former Senator from Tennessee and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist stated on November 29, 2006 that he does not intend to seek the nomination but wants to go back to practicing medicine.[17]
'Fmr. Secretary of State and General Colin Powell'	Colin Powell was the George W. Bush Administration's Secretary of State from 2001 - 2005. During the first Bush administration, he was the first black on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first African-American Chair of the Joint Chiefs. His resignation from Secretary of State, soon after Bush won a second term, caused speculation that he may run for the presidency; General Powell has stated this is not the case. His name has been, since at least 2006 or earlier, scrapped from Republican polls.
'Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice'	Condoleezza Rice, currently the Secretary of State, said in March 2005 on ''Meet the Press''[18], and elsewhere, that she doesn't intend to run for President, but can't rule it out. In an August 8-10, 2005, Republican primary poll in Iowa, Rice came in first with 30 percent, beating McCain and Giuliani, who each got about 15 percent. In October 2005, ''Condi vs. Hillary'', a book by political commentator Dick Morris, discussing Rice as the Republican candidate, was published. There is a "Draft Condi" movement which has raised significant funds, appeared at major conservative political events, and aired television and radio advertisements in a number of states.
'Governor Mark Sanford'	Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina; popular with fiscal conservatives, but has said he does not intend to run. Sanford professes to be a firm supporter of limited government, and many pundits have described his views as being libertarian in nature. There are several Internet-based groups trying to convince him to run for President in 2008. However, on November 7, 2006, he said that his gubernatorial race at that point would be his last campaign, win or lose.[19]
'Rick Santorum, former Senator'	Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania; A number of polls had mentioned him as a potential Republican candidate. Once he lost his seat to his Democratic opponent, Pennsylvania treasurer Bob Casey, Jr., a run for the Presidency became decidedly less likely and on November 17, 2006, in regard to a Presidential bid, he stated "Absolutely, positively not. Absolutely not, my wife would throw me out of the house if I do anything in '08."[20]

References

1. http://www.wethepeopleforpresident.com/
2. http://www.williamkoenig.com/
3. http://www.smithforpresident.com/
4. http://www.rmsmith2008.com/
5. Mitchell, Garry. "Gingrich: 2008 run for President possible", Associated Press, October 14, 2005
6. http://www.alankeyes.com/articles/070806iowa.php
7. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2006/11/gilmore_still_m.html
8. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,237805,00.html
9. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2006/12/former_virginia.html
10. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=542670
11. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/01/election.thompson/
12. Signed, Sealed... But Not So Fast. Insiders' Predictions For WH 2008 May Not Match Public's Vision Gwen Glazer
13. George III John Heilemann
14. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16207686.htm
15. Jeb Bush Calls for Reforms, Return to Civility Retrieved on Feb. 2, 2007
16. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060319-1.html
17. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/congress/jan-june05/frist_3-1.html
18. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7173024
19. http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/11/sanford-turned-away-from-precinct.html
20. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/16032443.htm

See also

★ Opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2008

★ United States presidential election, 2008

★ 2008 Democratic presidential candidates

★ 2008 Third Party presidential candidates

External links

★ Politics1 Presidency 2008

★ MyMapps mashup showing Eventful demand for the candidates.

★ The presidential contenders are debating U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. Why isn't anyone talking about Afghanistan?

★ Spartan Internet Political Performance (SIPP) Index - Ranking of Republican Candidates Internet popularity