Scott Walker remains the “clear frontrunner” in Iowa. Marco Rubio gave “one of the best-delivered speeches of the night.”
Rand Paul got people talking, and Carly Fiorina “is going to be a surprise on caucus night if she keeps it up.”
Those were among the views of Craig Robinson, founder and editor-in-chief of the TheIowaRepublican.com, after nine current and potential Republican presidential candidates addressed the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Saturday.
Here’s Robinson’s analysis of the latest gathering of Republican hopefuls in the nation’s first caucus state:
--Rubio. It was his first trip to Iowa since the Florida senator declared his candidacy earlier this month. Robinson found “The room was full of excitement as Rubio was announced, and the 43-year-old presidential candidate kept the energy up with one of the best-delivered speeches of the night.”
He “made a great first impression on Saturday, but to be a real factor in Iowa, he’s going to have to commit to doing the retail politicking that’s required in a state like Iowa.”
--Paul, a U.S. senator from Kentucky, was “was received well by the conservative audience. If one thing was made abundantly clear by the reception Paul received on Saturday night, it’s that he can make a play for the support of evangelical and socially conservative voters in a way that his father never could.”
He was “one of the names that people were talking about after the event, but he surpassed every expectation I had for him at the event, and just being an acceptable choice of those in this crowd is a victory in and of itself.”
--Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. “He seems much more comfortable as an underdog for the 2016 race.”
--Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. “Not only was his speech was well received, but people were talking about him after the event. Mission accomplished.”
--Fiorina. The former business executive “is well liked and respected by Iowa Republican activists. She may be a long shot, but she is going to be a surprise on caucus night if she keeps it up.”
--Former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum. “Santorum was greeted warmly, and if you watched closely, you might have noticed that these Iowans are proud of the fact that Santorum won the 2012 caucuses”
Then again, said Robinson, “I don’t think you grow support by reminding people that you were right all the time. While I agree with the points he’s making, I think he needed to find a better way communicate them.”
--Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. “I was fascinated by the different reactions the audience had to the introductions of Huckabee and Santorum. While Santorum has earned the respect of Iowa caucus-goers, they still really like Huckabee. The polls bear this out, too. While Santorum finds himself back in the low single digits, Huckabee routinely polls near the top in Iowa”
--Cruz. “No candidate excites Iowa conservatives like Cruz has over the past couple of years.”
But, Robinson warned about the U.S. senator from Texas, “Cruz needs to hope that all those conservatives who cheer him on believe in him enough to support him over other less controversial candidates.”
--Walker. The Wisconsin governor “ is currently the clear frontrunner in Iowa. He draws a tremendous amount of interest amongst caucus-goers, and the only question is whether his campaign will harvest all of that interest into support.”
Robinson thought his speech was “was a bit disjointed on Saturday night, but Walker hit his stride near the end of his remarks.”