PoliticalDerby.com today released the latest edition of the 2008 White House Power Rankings. Rudy Giuliani continues to hold his lead in the top spot among republicans. Mitt Romney has jumped into second and John McCain finds himself in third, his lowest ranking of the year. Two candidates not yet running, Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich, fall in at numbers four and five, respectively.
On the democratic side Barack Obama has moved into a tie with longtime frontrunner Hillary Clinton. John Edwards is steady at third with upward momentum. Bill Richardson is fourth and Chris Dodd rounds out the top five.
For the complete rankings from one to ten in both parties, visit: http://politicalderby.com/powerrankings
Excerpts:
Obama: Welcome to the lead, Barack Obama. For the first time ever, Hillary has company at the top of the rankings. Obama's Q1 fundraising totals and ever-improving poll numbers indicate he's got better legs than Haley Scarnato. He's closed to just 5 points in one poll and across the board is averaging just an 8-point deficit to Senator Clinton. Not bad for a guy who three years ago was wearing political Pull-Ups. (previous ranking: #2)
Clinton: There's only one question on the mind of '08 watchers. Does the Senate health plan cover political grief counseling? Hillary has officially lost the title of presumptive nominee. The race she thought would be more coronation than perspiration has developed into a political junkies dream. She can boast all she wants about finishing the first quarter with the most cash- on-hand, but her support wasn't nearly as deep as her co-leader. (previous ranking: #1)
Gore: Al Gore had a window of opportunity leading up to and immediately after the Oscars, but that window is now closing faster than a Quentin Tarantino film. It doesn't help that no one can hear his global warming message, what with all those hats and ear muffs we're having to wear this spring. (previous ranking: #5)
Giuliani: In any other year Rudy Giuliani's first quarter numbers would have been like an overdose of Viagra to the political world. But he finished fourth overall and has watched his lead shrink in the most recent polls. Plenty of pundits and bloggers are wondering how long Mr. Teflon II can deflect controversy and bridge his deep ideological gap with the GOP base. Will he be known as a Sanjaya or a Melinda? Only time will tell. (previous ranking: #1)
Romney: Mitt Romney led the GOP field with a whopping $23 million raised in the first quarter. Then he went right out and spent nearly half of it on Caffeine Free Diet Coke and name ID. He's doing well on the ground in places like South Carolina, winning a surprising number of county straw polls, but he needs to start seeing a return on that Q1 investment quickly in the national polls that make the 6:00 news. (previous ranking: tied for #2)
Hunter: Calling Duncan Hunter's early fundraising numbers anemic would be a disservice to anemia sufferers everywhere. He raised enough to keep the electricity on, but his campaign better hope for a mild summer. (previous ranking: #7)
