2008 Hopefuls: Warner had the best 2005. Frist had the worst. [View All]

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Chris Cillizza's Politics Blog -- The Fix The Friday Line: Grading the White House Hopefuls' 2005


The Best

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) entered 2005 as a little-known figure on the national stage and leaves it, arguably, as the leading anti-Hillary candidate in the Democratic field. Warner took a major risk by making the November gubernatorial election a referendum on his four years in office and was rewarded when Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) won a surprisingly strong victory.

Warner also showed he was ready to compete outside of his home state by making a splash on both the staffing and fundraising fronts. He recruited Monica Dixon, former deputy chief of staff for Vice President Al Gore, to run his Forward Together PAC -- a hire that drew plaudits from Washington's insider crowd. Earlier this month he held an event that raised nearly $3 million for Forward Together -- a sum that wowed many in the donor community. Expect Warner's 2006 schedule to be packed with events in places like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina as he seeks to capitalize on his current momentum.

The Worst

Singling out Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist (R) as the presidential hopeful who had the worst 2005 was a no-brainer. Everywhere Frist turned in the past 12 months he found bad news. In March, Frist was roundly criticized by the medical community for alleging that a comatose Florida woman -- Terri Schiavo -- may have been misdiagnosed by her doctors. Two months later, Frist's attempt to invoke the so-called nuclear option on judicial nominations -- a pet issue for conservatives -- was thwarted by a group of moderate senators from both parties, raising doubts about Frist's ability to lead his own caucus. Then in July, Frist announced his support for legislation that would expand the use of stem cells for medical purposes -- a move that drew considerable ire among social conservatives and was seen as at least a partial reversal of Frist's previous position on this issue.

Finally, in October, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced it was opening an investigation into a stock sale Frist authorized involving a company his father and older brother founded. Despite that laundry list of political pitfalls, those close to Frist insist he is still planning to run for president. If he has any chance of winning the nomination, he needs his final year in the Senate to be much better than the year just past.


The best of the rest include: Sen. George Allen (R-VA), Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Gov. Halley Barbour (R-MS), Fmr. Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

***Click the link for more details on other potential candidates and the year they had***