Friday Top Five, December 8th

Every Friday, The Next Prez ranks the top five presidential candidates in the Democratic, Republican, and third party camps. This week's rankings:

Democrats

1. Hillary Clinton (steady) -- Holding steady above 30 percent in the polls, but may be forced into entering the race formally earlier than planned by Obama.

2. Barack Obama (steady) -- Basking in extended publicity over the possibility that he will seek the nomination, but needs to decide soon.

3. John Edwards (steady) -- Could be the big winner if Obama decides to sit this one out.

4. Bill Richardson (rising) -- Getting his own fair share of publicity in recent days, and could gain from concern over the relative inexperience of Obama and Edwards.

5. Wesley Clark (steady) -- Challenges Obama and Edwards in online polls, but trails in scientific polling.


Republicans

1. Rudy Giuliani (steady) -- The mainstream media is waking up to the fact that he's in the race, but conservatives are beginning to examine his record more closely.

2. John McCain (steady) -- Continues to trail Giuliani in party preference polls, but fares equally well against likely Democratic challengers.

3. Mitt Romney (steady) -- Holding steady in the third spot as Brownback and other conservatives prepare to enter the race.

4. Newt Gingrich (falling) -- Sounds less like a serious contender, but maintains appreciable support in national polls.

5. Sam Brownback (rising) -- Could move up quickly with Frist, Allen, and Santorum out of the way.


Third Parties and Independents

1. Steve Kubby (steady) -- Gaining momentum as the Libertarian leader, but a big-name rival could still be on the horizon.

2. Steve Adams (steady) -- 47,000 website visitors, 338 registered supporters and counting for the write-in candidate from Kentucky.

3. Daniel Imperato (steady) -- Starting to speak out on top issues again as he travels the world on business, but needs to return to the US to take his campaign to the next level.

4. George Phillies (steady) -- Working to appeal to reformers in the LP as Kubby takes a more traditional Libertarian approach.

5. Christine Smith (rising) -- Gaining supporters and making a concerted effort to be a serious contender in the Libertarian field.


Best Week: Sam Brownback. Announcement that he will enter the Republican contest earned extended coverage in the national press, and highlighted conservative disappointment with Giuliani and McCain.

Worst Week: Mitt Romney. Brownback arrived on the scene, and a Gallup "top-of-mind" poll showed only 1% picking Romney in an unprompted survey.