The Four Horsepeople Of The Apocalypse: The Republican Front-runners Romney, Palin, Huckabee, and Gingrich

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor
Illustration by Jack Brummet, Social Mores Editor

click to enlarge

In the Republican-Tea Party, there is, at the moment, a four-candidate top-tier including Ex-Governor Palin, Former Governor Mike Huckabee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt "Contract On America" Gingrich.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed the four of them all in a pretty tight cluster--with each potentially receiving around 15 to 19 percent of the vote. 

Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, John Thune, Mike Pence, Rick Santorum, Mitch Daniels, Gary Johnson, Chris Christie all pulled from 1 to 5% of the potential voters.

Let's face it. . .the Republicans have to be scared sh**less!   I don't think the Tea Party wing is smart enough to be spooked.  The one candidate that seems mostly likely to be elected--Mitt Romney--is not loved, and the party activists like neither his religion nor the excellent health-care bill he marshaled through in Massachusetts.

Obviously this is an extremely early poll and EVERYTHING can--and probably will--change.  And then remember, too, I published my first list Democratic front-runners at about this same time in the election cycle last time around.  Barack Obama wasn't even on my list. . .just in case you're wondering how solid these prognostications are.

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