Which of these Republicans could beat Hillary?

[IceSpear]

"Could" is a fairly broad term. Most if not all of these people "could" beat Hillary. Realistically? Only Christie, Jeb, and Daniels.

[IceSpear]

I think Huckabee has a certain appeal that a lot of "moderates" don't have. It's similar to how I thought Rick Santorum, deplorable though he may be, was the most (the only?) electable GOP candidate in 2012.

And yes, this poll seems to be missing about half those most speculated about as nominees (Paul, Walker, Kasich, Ryan and Pence spring to mind). A lot of these candidates would be kerbstomped in a neutral year.

Electable people don't lose re-election in a purple/tint blue state by 18 points.

[IceSpear]

I don't know why Ted Cruz is not considered around here. Of the Republican contenders, he is quite easily the smartest, most talented candidate in the field. Facing him would be a lot tougher than taking on Rand Paul the gaffe machine or Rubio the moron.

Cruz is too far right to beat Hillary. He would be smoked in the election. Christie has the best chances to win.

You act as if every voter looks up where each candidate is on the ideological spectrum before they vote. They don't.

If a far-right candidate is smart enough, crushes the debates, and is an intelligent campaigner then he will do better in an election than a 'moderate' candidate who lacks all of those attributes. Now, I'm not saying Cruz will be able to crush Hillary in all those things, but it is foolish to write him off.

The government shutdown showed that Cruz's political acumen isn't exactly top notch. He's not going to be able to sweep that under the rug. In fact, that's what DEFINES him to most people.