Candidate Ranking!

Here is mine:
1. Rand Paul
2. Gary Johnson (if he runs)
3. Ted Cruz
4. Rick Perry
5. Lincoln Chaffee
6. Jim Webb
7. Ben Carson* and Scott Walker (maybe)

* I know his personal views may sound kookoo but he has a somewhat decent idea about economics. The rest of the field, I don't care.

I would have to think very very hard before voting for anyone other than Rand Paul or Gary Johnson. I am not sure whether I would vote for them if they got the nomination. Cruz is excellent on economic issues. His foreign policy worries me, but he is better than the rest of the field (except Rand of course). Same thing could be said about social issues. He panders a lot to the religious right. His official position in most social issues (marriage, drugs etc) is "let the States decide". I find that somewhat appealing.

Rick Perry is very similar to Ted Cruz, probably more hawkish in foreign policy(like the rest of the GOP), but he endorsed criminal justice reform and getting rid of mandatory minimums recently. I was surprised when I heard it. As Texas governor he promoted free market economy i.e. low taxes, got rid of cumbersome regulations etc. Now, Perry is not as smart as Cruz, and can easily make a fool of himself.

Regarding Carson, I think his odd ideas have nothing to do with what he can do as a president. I doubt he can remove textbooks which teach evolution from schools. Imo, he would be ok with the economy.

Like I said in the beginning, this is just a list of the people I think will do least damage. Just because I put them in the list, it does not mean I would vote for them in the election.

I remember watching the debate and being mildly surprised with how much I liked Huckabee at certain moments. He seems to be geniunely for small government, but he is also obsessed with being a hardline Christian Conservative at times. Do you think he is a viable candidate?

I am still doing my research but for the Republican Primaries here are my Top 5 (I cannot say who I will support in a Presidential Election if it is not Rand Paul for the Republican side):

1. Rand Paul - The most libertarian-leaning candidate out there and most likely who I'll support this Republican election.

2. Mike Huckabee - I find myself agreeing with his Fair Tax plan, abolishing of the Department of Education, and bringing it back to state and local levels, and support of all forms of energy. I am wary of his support of Social Security, how he is more of a Christian policy maker, and his slightly war hawkish feel.

3. Mark Everson - A name no one really knows, but he is running for the Republican nomination. He has an interesting hybrid tax plan that has those under $100k/year under a consumption tax and those above on an income tax. He is a little war hawkish, but also uses the term "Peace through Strength" like Rand Paul. He is also looking to reform immigration policy while tightening up our borders.

4. Ben Carson or Ted Cruz - Both men aren't wonderful, but I like Carson's support of the 1st and 2nd Amendment, and the fact he isn't a politician. He does have a more Christian social policy approach same as Ted Cruz. I like Cruz for the fact that he is probably the second best fighter for the Constitution this election cycle (next to Rand Paul). He comes across as a War Hawk though, which really diminishes his appeal for me.

5. Rick Perry - I like him better than a lot of the other candidates up to this point for his 20% flat tax and wanting to grant people a chance to divert a portion of their Social Security to a private account. Unfortunately, he is a War Hawk and defends in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.