Presidential Prospect Ratings, #2

It's been about a month since I've rated the presidential prospects on both sides. You can find that previous rating here. Here's number two:

Democrats:
1) Hillary Clinton: (previous rating #1): Sen. Clinton continues to put the "hammer down" on her way to the Democratic nomination. Early polls show her up - big. While she'll hit some snags on the way, she's no doubt the front-runner.

2) Barack Obama: (previous rating #2): Obama continues to cut a path toward being the only real alternative to Clinton. He's prompted Clinton to investigate his background, and that may be the biggest comment on his viability thus far. His positive message is a departure from Clinton, who can come across shrill and combative.

3) John Edwards: (previous rating #3): In spite of the blogger controversy and the flack over his North Carolina mansion, Edwards continues to poll well, especially in Iowa. Still, can he leapfrog Obama to become the Clinton alternative?

4) Bill Richardson: (previous rating: unranked): Gov. Richardson could be the most intriguing candidate in the race: Hispanic, with experience in diplomacy and state governance, and hailing from an electorally pivotal state: New Mexico. No major faults, although his stewardship of the Department of Energy can be called into question. Still, a candidate to watch.

5) Tom Vilsack: (previous ranking: 4): Gov. Vilsack has gained little traction since his December announcement, despite a strongly-worded speech on Iraq to the DNC winter meeting.

Republicans:
1) Rudy Giuliani: (previous ranking: 3): Giuliani bounces back from his campaign dossier being left on a plane and turned over to a New York newspaper. He's up in most of the primary polls, and the Real Clear Politics average has him up 5% over Senator McCain. Rudy seems to be serious about running and winning, and enjoys a broad appeal across the GOP. He even does well finessing evangelical voters. He still faces questions about problematic position stands such as abortion. Still, since the last rating in January, he has performed strongly in all aspects of early organization.

2) John McCain: (previous ranking: 1): Sen. McCain has raised less cash then Giuliani since last report, and the question remains: does being in the Senate during a contentious time such as the present Iraq debate hurt or help McCain? He has been an avowed apologist for the "surge", yet has tried to cut a middle path as evidenced by his tough questioning of General Casey during his confirmation hearings. Also, can he rebuild enough bridges with the GOP base? These challenges and Giuliani's relatively good month drop the Arizona senator to #2.

3) Mitt Romney: (previous ranking: 2): Gov. Romney has had a mixed run since last report. He picked up the endorsements of Senator Jim Demint (SC) and former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (good things), yet troubling information surfaced regarding past positions he held on gay rights and abortion. Romney has some explaining to do before his stock rises again.

4) Newt Gingrich: (previous ranking: 4): The only undeclared candidate in this ranking, the former Speaker holds steady at 4. He polls well in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire, yet holds fast to his position that he won't decide until fall '07. With the way this process has been moved up, that will be too late.

5) Mike Huckabee: (previous ranking: unranked): The former Arkansas governor and weight loss success story's soft brand of conservatism is reminiscent of George W. Bush in 1999. If Gingrich stays out, Huckabee could become the conservative "alternative" to Giuliani and McCain. Can he surmount two obstacles: name ID and ability to raise cash?