# Republicans: who would you pick for 2016? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 18, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284 "2015-05-18T03:55:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/61 "2015-05-21T21:30:28Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Hillary hates guns, men, and the South. There’s really no way she could earn my vote. The former first lady of Arkansas? Hates the south? What evidence is there that she hates men? If you can live with hating only 2 of the 3 could I get your vote? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/62 "2015-05-21T21:40:04Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > If you can live with hating only 2 of the 3 could I get your vote? It is possible that I sometimes indulge in a bit of whimsical hyperbole. I’m sure that Hillary is probably fond of someone with testicles, and may have friends in a state with an SEC school. A Dem that is not Hillary has a legitimate chance at earning my vote. I usually vote a split ticket most years. I voted Dem for Governor last time. Voted Dem for Senator last time. Both those candidates lost, but I voted for them. Hillary has no chance at getting my vote. Just not happening. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/63 "2015-05-21T23:22:18Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > In my opinion, the best chance the Rs have of beating Clinton is to run a woman. There is something fun and exciting about voting for the first of a traditionally underrepresented group, especially if you’re a member of said group. I can easily imagine a good percentage of Republican women pulling the lever for Hillary, without mentioning it to their husbands, if the other option is another angry old white guy. How many republican women do you actually know? I’m a republican so I probably know more than you do, and all the women I know would rather vote for Lucifer himself than Hillary Clinton. That said, the current selection of Republicans is pretty pitiful. I’m hoping hard we don’t have to choose between Clinton and Bush. I’d hate to have to move to Canada now that I’m finally old enough to have enough points to. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/64 "2015-05-21T23:30:33Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > The only way Hillary could be the most conservative candidate is if Michael Bloomberg get’s the Republican nomination. And if that happens I shall flee the United States and move to Baldwinia. Run, Bloomberg, Run!!! ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/65 "2015-05-22T00:03:34Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > How many republican women do you actually know? I’m a republican so I probably know more than you do, and all the women I know would rather vote for Lucifer himself than Hillary Clinton. Honestly, most of the republicans I know are extremist lunatics who genuinely believe that Obama is the anti-Christ (is that one word?) I tend to avoid talking politics with them, because: CRAZY. I’m thinking more the type like my Grandmother probably is, who are reasonable women not especially involved or invested in politics who have lived through eras where women were truly repressed. I can imagine many of them thinking it’s pretty cool that a woman could be president. I don’t know, I’m just pulling this out of my ass, I could very well be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/66 "2015-05-22T00:13:06Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > How many republican women do you actually know? I’m a republican so I probably know more than you do, and all the women I know would rather vote for Lucifer himself than Hillary Clinton. Well, if it comes down to those two, of course they’ll vote for the Republican. I couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/67 "2015-05-22T00:25:35Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > In my opinion, the best chance the Rs have of beating Clinton is to run a woman. See post #42. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/68 "2015-05-22T08:46:42Z")
If he thought it would get him the White House, Ted Cruz would have the surgery. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/69 "2015-05-23T00:11:06Z")
If we had a woman, that would be wonderful. We don’t. We have Carly Fiorina, who qualifies as a woman but doesn’t qualify as Presidential material. Nikki Haley and Susana Martinez are our best female prospects at this point, but they don’t want to run. Could end up on the ticket though. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/70 "2015-05-23T01:27:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m still a nominal Republican but that’s mostly because of state and local politics. When I look at the national candidates, I wonder what the hell is wrong with the party. The Democrats are offering better Republican candidates than the Republicans are. Humorously the lower down the political spectrum you went was traditionally where I was least partisan. Some of that was seeing the traditional Democratic Party focus being on issues being more appropriate below the federal level. Some of it was not caring about the usual national issues that separated the parties when selecting say the county drain commissioner. At the federal level I tended to vote strongly Republican. I’ve been lucky to be in districts/states that still tended to be represented by what the Tea Party called RINOs. The rest though… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Riv1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Riv1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riv1)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/71 "2015-05-25T05:02:40Z")
Do you mean only candidates who have already announced they are running or do you include strong candidates who haven’t made official announcements yet but are taken seriously enough to be included in most 2016 GOP Presidential polls? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/72 "2015-05-25T05:28:53Z")
Might simplify your considerations to pare down to the top twenty or so contenders. Just sayin’, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Riv1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Riv1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riv1)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/73 "2015-05-25T05:34:01Z")
I’d vote for Santorum. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/74 "2015-05-30T09:17:21Z")
I say Rand Paul; he seems the most presidential out of a bizarre group of candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/75 "2015-05-31T05:03:09Z")
As a Democrat, [John Kasich](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kasich) is the potential candidate who worries me the most. He’s intelligent, level-headed, a good debater, and he potentially brings all those Ohio electoral votes with him. I am hoping he is perceived as too moderate by Republican primary voters. If he gets the nomination, the general election could be a dogfight. . ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/76 "2015-05-31T05:12:47Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > My guess, he’s a gun-owning Southern man, and Hillary tied him to a tree and hurled circular saw blades at him. Bah; she throws like a girl! 😛 [ducks & runs, just in case] ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/77 "2015-05-31T05:13:18Z")
Kasich actually has a very conservative history. To the extent he’s moderate, it’s only because governing is a different job than legislating. Kasich has figured out the limits of ideology on the realities of governing. Rubio is probably our most formidable guy, but Kasich will probably make the best President. He’s ready to be President and he’s not a divisive figure anymore. Being governor really mellowed him. As of right now, I’m with Kasich, but that is of course subject to change. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/78 "2015-05-31T11:31:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Kasich actually has a very conservative history. To the extent he’s moderate, it’s only because governing is a different job than legislating. Kasich has figured out the limits of ideology on the realities of governing. > > Rubio is probably our most formidable guy, but Kasich will probably make the best President. He’s ready to be President and he’s not a divisive figure anymore. Being governor really mellowed him. > > As of right now, I’m with Kasich, but that is of course subject to change. What happened to Graham? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/79 "2015-05-31T11:39:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > What happened to Graham? He said “subject to change”. Change every hour, it appears. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284/80 "2015-05-31T12:07:25Z")
I like Lindsey Graham. He would probably do a lot to reduce partisanship. He’s got a lot of Democratic friends in the Senate. He and Clinton will be close partners on foreign policy should she be elected, as they’ve always been. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-who-would-you-pick-for-2016/720284.md?page=5)