In the previous blog entries, I've ranked the Republican presidential candidates based on their conservatism, their knowledge and understanding of the issues, and their experience. I also narrowed the field from seven to five, based on some viability. Now, it's time to summarize the ranking.

Because first places finishes are better, the candidate with the lowest score, like in golf, will prove to be the most desirable candidate. Executive experience is the combined score of government executive experience, volunteer executive experience and business executive leadership, with 1-5 scores. The initial ranking will be done in alphabetical order.


Candidate         Conservative            Knowledge         Executive Experience

Giuliani                       3                                3                                   7

Huckabee                   4                                4                                   7

McCain                        5                                5                                 13

Romney                      2                                1                                   5

Thompson                 1                                 2                                 13


Adding the points together the results look like this, lowest to highest score.

Romney          8
Giuliani         13
Huckabee    15
Thompson   16
McCain          23

This would make Romney the best overall candidate, with McCain the least.

Viability

Without wins, Thompson and Giuliani are the most vulnerable now, based on their strategies to win in South Carolina and Florida, respectively. Thompson is currently polling fourth in South Carolina, despite being there by himself the last week, and Giuliani is in a statistical tie with McCain and Romney in Florida, despite being there for two weeks by himself.

If Thompson does not win in South Carolina, or come in a very close second, he should be done. Whether he drops out then and does not contest Florida (which is kind of the indication he's given), that would mean Giuliani, Romney, McCain and Huckabee would carry into Florida with a shot. If Giuliani wins, then there are still four viable candidates going into Super Tuesday. If Thompson and Giuliani win, there are five.

Not only is South Carolina voting this Saturday, but so is Nevada. Romney may very well take that state, since he is supposedly spending time there and is at least seven if not 15 points ahead of the field there. If McCain wins in South Carolina, and Romney wins Nevada, there is a good chance they will be the main competitors going into Florida against Giuliani. Current polling bares that out. If Huckabee wins South Carolina and Romney wins Nevada, then they would be the top two Giuliani contenders, with McCain once again derailing in South Carolina. Unless Giuliani wins Florida, the winner there will be in the driver's seat come Super Tuesday.

Word is all the campaigns are cash strapped. Romney, because of his own wealth, is considered to be in the best spot, and the most likely to contest a primary day where more than 20 states will weigh in. Unless McCain pulls out South Carolina and Florida, or Huckabee wins South Carolina and then gets a bump in Florida, Romney would be positioned the best organizationally and monetarily to do battle in the 20-plus states on Super Tuesday. That means in all scenarios but two, he is in the best shape, except if McCain wins in both South Carolina and Florida, or Huckabee wins in South Carolina and actually comes in second or better in Florida.

Romney currently leads in votes cast and in delegates. He has taken first in Michigan and Wyoming, while taking second in both Iowa and New Hampshire against two different winners, Huckabee and McCain. Going into Florida, he could still be in the lead in delegates, with a first place finish in Nevada and a third or fourth place finish in South Carolina.

If Thompson does not win in South Carolina (and currently he's got ground to cover), and if Giuliani does not win Florida (and so far, it's up in the air), then Romney becomes the most conservative of the three most likely to be viable going into Super Tuesday (Romney, Huckabee, McCain). Of the remaining, Romney is also the most knowledgeable in all matters of policy, as well as the one with the most executive experience across the spectrum. And of the three, he is the one who has spent the least time in government to date, which does not make him a career politician.

I began these posts based on the premise that the sooner Republican candidate is chosen, the better for the party. I think I've made a case, based on ranking and analysis, that Romney is the best positioned to be the Republican nominee. He is the best overall candidate. Unless Thompson can remain viable, he is the next most conservative candidate along with Giuliani.

We may not end up with the most consistently conservative viable candidate of the remaining field (Thompson), but do we really want to end up with the most moderate (McCain)?

It may be too late for South Carolina, but not in Florida. Take a look at the rankings, and make your own determination, and then see if I'm not in the ballpark with what I've done here.