STUNNING – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  The Iowa political beauty contest was held over the weekend.  The buzz is that Scott Walker emerged much, much stronger than before, and a virtual political unknown also scored heavily.  From the Washington Times: 

For the last several months, the likes of Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul have dominated the media coverage of the still-nascent contest for the White House.

But when the 2016 Republican presidential race roared to life this weekend with twin events in Iowa and Louisiana, two lesser-known contestants left indelible impressions on the GOP faithful.

Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive and current American Conservative Union Foundation Chairwoman Carly Fiorina and battle-tested Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker left the crowds stirring after a nonstop ten-hour festival in Des Moines that exposed voters to 27 speakers and at least 10 GOP presidential hopefuls.

“Carly Fiorina, whom most people had never heard of, got the best response. She came across as a highly intelligent woman and a strong leader as the ex-chief executive of the biggest tech firm in the world,” said former Oklahoma GOP Chairman Gary Jones, who flew from his home state to the Iowa event. “She did herself the most good.”

Mr. Walker, who has won two election battles in the swing state of Wisconsin since taking on public unions, also did plenty to dispel perceptions he was an under-stated speaker lacking in charisma.

“Scott Walker was the other one who most improved his position, walking from one end of the stage to the other, with sleeves rolled up and no teleprompter, talking substance — what he would actually do as president,” Mr. Jones added. “We had heard he can be a lackluster speaker. He wasn’t.”

COMMENT:  Many political people with whom I've spoken believe that Walker is the real sleeper candidate, the one who'll keep creeping upward and will emerge as the man to beat.   He doesn't lose elections.  And, if he sees something needs fixing, he fixes it.  He was aware of his reputation as a so-so speaker, so he clearly fixed it.  A great governor and a very capable candidate.

Carly Fiorina is a highly impressive woman who served as CEO of Hewlett-Packard.  That is both a plus and a liability.  It's a great credit, but her performance was highly controversial, and she was forced out.  That will come up in the campaign.  She ran for the Senate from California against Barbara Boxer and lost, but no one holds that against her.   My guess is that she's running for vice president, and she may well be seen as a potential asset to the ticket.  We'll watch her work.

Again, I'm struck by the sheer depth of talent on the Republican side.  The Democrats are not as fortunate.

January 26,  2015