Unusually Large Republican 2016 Field Sparks ‘Staff Primary’

With a dozen Republicans thinking seriously about running for president in 2016 and 10 more talking up the idea, it’s a good time to be an experienced campaign hand.

Potential candidates are scrambling to sort through the rosters of campaign veterans in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire and elsewhere in a talent search that reflects the fact that the Republican field for 2016 is the largest in recent memory.

The competition, dubbed by some as a “staff primary,” aims to find the right mix of get-out-the-vote organizers, digital experts, fund-raising stars and messaging professionals able to set up a functioning campaign.

“There is a known universe of operatives with many of them headquartered in early primary states,” said Republican strategist Kevin Madden, a senior adviser to Mitt Romney in his 2012 presidential campaign. “Right now I think the contest is focused on all the candidates trying to go after that universe of staffers.”

As many as 21 Republicans are in various stages of considering a presidential run, far more than the dozen or so who gave it a go four years ago. Of these, probably 10 or 12 are really serious and the rest are testing the waters or are trying to promote their brand.

The field is so large because there is no nominee-in-waiting as there is in the Democratic arena, where former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is widely seen as having a lock on the Democratic nomination should she choose to run. There is also a younger generation of Republican leaders eager to make their mark, like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who is 47, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, 43.

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the February 9th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.