January 30, 2015 – Three strikes and your out is the message Mitt Romney put out today when he announced that he would abandon a third run for the White House in 2016.

Romney, who served as Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, sought the Republican Party nomination in 2008 and then won it in 2012. In the November general election Romney was defeated by President Barack Obama.

Essentially running for president for over the past ten years when he first became a Governor, Romney suffered a key defection to his third White House bid when a key Iowa staffer defected to the Jeb Bush camp earlier in the week.

The Romney camp as a rationale for a third presidential campaign would say that it took Ronald Reagan three tries  to win the White House. The reality is that Romney is probably closer to the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of  Hubert Humphrey than Reagan. In 1960 Humphrey lost the nomination to John F. Kennedy as Romney lost the nomination to John McCain in 2008. In 1968 Humphrey won the Democratic nomination, but lost the general election to Richard Nixon, as Romney lost the 2012 election to Obama.

In 1972, Humphrey mounted a third presidential campaign but lost to eventual Democratic Party nominee George McGovern. While Romney didn’t make it in a third attempt to the actual voting as Humphrey did, he essentially lost the underground presidential primary where candidates compete behind the scene for staff and financial donors.

Romney if he had continued in the race would have complicated the Republican party’s message that probable Democratic party nominee Hillary Clinton is yesterday news, something that could have been applied to Romney considering this was his third race.

Romney’s decision is probably good news to the Jeb Bush campaign as they both appealed to the same wing of the party. Should money people and staffers now begin a steady movement toward Bush that’s probably bad news for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

 January 29, 2015 - Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney continues to lead the 2016 race by double digits among 2016 GOP hopefuls.

Romney, age 67, has the supports of 24% of likely Republican voters in the poll. This is an impressive result considering that through out 2014 when Romney was not included in  polls the leading candidate was never more than a point or two ahead.

The next closest challenger to Romney is former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 13%. Close on Bush's heels are Dr. Ben Carson at 12% followed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker at 11%.

Surprisingly the poll has New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tied for 5th place with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky both with 7%. Prior to the Bridgegate scandal the caused much upheaval for Christie in early 2014, the out spoken New Jersey Governor often was in the lead of 2016 Republican nomination polls.

The bottom tier of candidates finds Senator Marco Rubio of Florida with 5% , followed by former Texas Governor Rick Perry with 4%.

Meanwhile of the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to lead the field with 59% followed by her closest competitor Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts with just 12%.

 January 10, 2015 – Mitt Romney made headlines this week when he stated that he was considering a third presidential bid for 2016.

Romney, who served as Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, lost the Republican nomination to Senator John McCain in 2008.

In 2012 Romney won the nod from the GOP but lost the November general election to President Barack Obama.

There has been speculation throughout 2014 that Romney would try another run at the White House.

This week in a meeting with donors, Romney said he is open to the idea of running for president again.

 December 17, 2014 - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush,61, announced yesterday that he would "actively explore" a run for the White House in 2016. Bush a Republican made his declaration with a statement released on social media.

Bush, who served as Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007, is the son of the 41st President of the Untied States George H. W. Bush and the brother of 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush.

This early entry into the race by Bush some 13 month before the 2016 Iowa presidential caucus , immediately complicates matters for two other GOP contenders New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and 2012 Republican nominee for president Mitt Romney.

Both Christie and Romney were looking to appeal to the same moderate establishment supporters that also favor Bush. With his hat now in the ring , Bush can begin to lock down the financial backers and campaign support staff while Christie and Romney stand on the sidelines for the moment.

As the Bush family has been active in Republican presidential politics for decades , Jeb Bush can draw on a reservoir of support that would be difficult for Christie or Romney to match. With already two presidents in the family , there is probably not a Republican party chairman, political operative or financial backer that the Bush family has not had contact with.

In an average of nationwide polls , Bush currently leads all challengers with 15% followed by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan and Christie both with 10%. The next batch of president contenders Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky , former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Dr. Ben Carson all find themselves tied at 9%. The remainder of the GOP field is as follows Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker 8%, Senator Ted Crux of Texas at 6%, Texas Governor Rick Perry at 4%, Senator Marco Rubio at 4%, and at 2% each Ohio Governor John Kasich and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindahl.