CPAC shakes up GOP race for president

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Adam Gabbatt of <em>The Guardian</em> newspaper holds images of possible Republican candidates. Associated Press/Photo/Carolyn Kaster

The staff of The World and Everything in It has profiled 22 possible 2016 presidential candidates in its “White House Wednesday” series, which aired on a Thursday this week. Now they take a look at who’s ahead and who’s making moves as the big campaign gets closer.

A hit with the kids. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., won the straw poll at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference for the third year in a row. Paul seems to do well with young voters, and there are always a lot of young conservatives at CPAC. So his win, with about 26 percent of the vote, wasn’t a surprise. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wasn’t too far behind with 21 percent. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Dr. Ben Carson, who came in third and fourth, respectively, were also well-represented at CPAC. But there were not a lot of young fans of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at the conference.

Tax man. A couple of years ago, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. was a rising star, with a lot of support from conservatives. He was on the cover of Time magazine as a possible “savior” for the GOP, a candidate who could bring the party together. Since then, his support for the Senate’s comprehensive immigration overhaul bill seems to have hurt him with the Republican base. In an attempt to mend fences, Rubio has embraced a piecemeal approach to immigration reform, one favored by most conservatives, in his latest book. This week, Rubio and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, unveiled a new tax plan to simplify and lower taxes for both individuals and businesses. They want to, among other things, lower the maximum corporate tax rate to 25 percent and eliminate double taxation on capital gains and dividends. Rubio said the plan would “empower millions of parents with an additional tax credit they can use for the daily cost of living that their families are facing.” Rubio said the plan will be a part of his platform if he does run for president.

Presidential power rankings. These rankings are a snapshot of where the race stands right now, based on several factors including fundraising and poll numbers. And there is a big shakeup at the top this week as a few candidates surge in polls.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, this week ousting Jeb Bush from No. 1. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Dr. Ben Carson, who has never ranked higher than seventh, but surged in the polls this week. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee Florida Sen. Marco Rubio New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who, despite winning the CPAC straw poll, has not done well in other polls this week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum

Listen to “White House Wednesday” on The World and Everything in It.

Kent Covington

Kent is a reporter and news anchor for WORLD Radio. He spent nearly two decades in Christian and news/talk radio before joining WORLD in 2012. He resides in Atlanta, Ga.

@kentcovington