Poll: Should Scott Walker Be Considered the GOP Front-Runner?

"He's as appealing as Rick Perry and as eloquent as Mitt Romney. Perfect!"

Q: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been surging in our Presidential Power Rankings. Should he be considered the GOP front-runner?

DEMOCRATS (83 VOTES)

Scott Walker (Alex Wong/Getty Images)Yes: 20%No: 80%

Yes

"Walker is the favorite this month. But without a 600-pound gorilla in the race, the GOP race will be like it was in 2012. Every candidate will get to be king for a day."

"He might as well get his turn out of the way and see if he can withstand the front-runner bullets now."

"He's as appealing as Rick Perry and as eloquent as Mitt Romney. Perfect!"

No

"While he is more credible than the random leaders from the primary four years ago, he also is more likely a temporary leader, given his poor skills handling the press and the inevitable Bush fundraising numbers."

"He is the Democrats' dream candidate. Angry and anti-middle-class worker."

"They always flirt with the bad boys and marry the safe guys. Jeb will be declared dead 10 times, and then he'll win the nomination."

"Jeb Bush is still the front-runner, but Walker is a close second."

"He's among the top echelon but not yet the front-runner, which he should not want to be at this point."

"Jeb is still the front-runner. Walker is the conservative du jour."

"Way too early and the field way too crowded for any true front-runner."

Q: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been surging in our Presidential Power Rankings. Should he be considered the GOP front-runner?

REPUBLICANS (87 VOTES)

Yes: 24%No: 76%

Yes

"He's a credible, fresh face in a crowded field. It would be a miracle if he leads wire to wire."

"But a temporary one—we'll see where he stands once the sugar high wears off."

"He now has a target on his back, and it is a long way until the election."

"Yes, he is the front-runner-of-the-month. Seldom does anyone stay there."

No

"Jeb is the front-runner until the first debate."

"He is in the top tier, but the front-runner at this stage is defined by financial support and organization, so it is Jeb Bush."

"A front-runner, not the front-runner. The GOP has two races going: one in the establishment half of the party, the other in the reform half. Bush leads in the establishment. At least for a nanosecond, Walker leads among reformers."

"Get a grip, folks. It wasn't like Walker delivered 'A Time for Choosing' in Iowa. It was one speech."

"He has the buzz factor right now, but until he passes other tests, like fundraising and handling the media glare, he isn't the front-runner. Top tier, yes, but not the front-runner."

"If he's still in the hunt in August, he'll be a front-runner. Current numbers just reflect news coverage. The latest new thing."

"It is too early to pick a front-runner when no one dominates like in past cycles."

"Recent stumbles in the press underscore the fact [that] he has a long way to go before earning front-runner status."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Democratic Political Insiders  Jill Alper, John Anzalone, Brad Bannon, Dave Beattie, Andy Bechhoefer, Cornell Belcher, Matt Bennett, Mitchell W. Berger, Mike Berman, Stephanie Bosh, Paul Brathwaite, Donna Brazile, Mark Brewer, Ed Bruley, George Bruno, Bonnie Campbell, Bill Carrick, Guy Cecil, Martin J. Chavez, Tony Coelho, Larry Cohen, Jerry Crawford, Jeff Danielson, Peter Daou, Howard Dean, Scott DeFife, Jim Demers, Tad Devine, David Di Martino, Monica Dixon, Patrick Dorton, Pat Dujakovich, Anita Dunn, Jeff Eller, Steve Elmendorf, Carter Eskew, Vic Fazio, Peter Fenn, Scott Ferson, Jim Fleischmann, Tina Flournoy, Don Foley, Jeffrey Forbes, Vincent Frillici, Gina Glantz, Niles Godes, John Michael Gonzalez, Joe Grandmaison, Anna Greenberg, Stan Greenberg, Pat Griffin, Larry Grisolano, Michael Gronstal, Lisa Grove, Marcia Hale, Jill Hanauer, Dick Harpootlian, Paul Harstad, Laura Hartigan, Doug Hattaway, Mike Henry, Karen Hicks, Leo Hindery Jr., Harold Ickes, Marcus Jadotte, John Jameson, Steve Jarding, Jonathon Jones, Jim Jordan, Gale Kaufman, Lisa Kountoupes, Celinda Lake, David Lang, Penny Lee, Chris Lehane, Jeff Link, Bob Maloney, Jim Manley, Steve Marchand, Jim Margolis, Paul Maslin, Keith Mason, Susan McCue, Gerald McEntee, Steve McMahon, Tom McMahon, Phil McNamara, David Medina, Michael Meehan, Mark Mellman, John Merrigan, Michael Monroe, Steve Murphy, Janet Napolitano, David Nassar, Marcia Nichols, John Norris, Tom Ochs, Tom O'Donnell, Jeffrey Peck, Debora Pignatelli, Tony Podesta, Jefrey Pollock, Jack Quinn, Larry Rasky, Ed Rendell, Steve Ricchetti, Will Robinson, Steve Rosenthal, David Rudd, Ryan Rudominer, John Ryan, Michael Sargeant, Stephanie Schriock, Terry Shumaker, Sean Sinclair, Phil Singer, Erik Smith, Doug Sosnik, Greg Speed, Darry Sragow, Ken Strasma, Doug Thornell, Jeffrey Trammell, Ed Turlington, Rick Wiener, James Williams, JoDee Winterhof, Brian Wolff, Jon Youngdahl, and Jim Zogby.

GOP Political Insiders  Dan Allen, Stan Anderson, Gary Andres, Saulius (Saul) Anuzis, Rich Ashooh, Whit Ayres, Brett Bader, Mitch Bainwol, Brian Baker, Gary Bauer, David Beckwith, Paul Bennecke, Clark Benson, Wayne Berman, Brian Bieron, Charlie Black, Kirk Blalock, Carmine Boal, Jeff Boeyink, Ron Bonjean, Jeff Buley, Luke Byars, Nick Calio, Al Cardenas, Danny Carroll, Alex Castellanos, Ron Christie, Jim Cicconi, Jonathan Collegio, Rob Collins, Cesar Conda, Jake Corman, Scott Cottington, Jay Cranford, Greg Crist, Diane Crookham-Johnson, Fergus Cullen, Tom Davis, Mike Dennehy, Ken Duberstein, Debi Durham, Sara Fagen, Frank Fahrenkopf, John Feehery, Don Fierce, Mindy Finn, Carl Forti, Alex Gage, Bruce A. Gates, Sam Geduldig, Adam Geller, Benjamin Ginsberg, David Girard-diCarlo, Bill Greener, Jonathan Grella, Lanny Griffith, Janet Mullins Grissom, Doug Gross, Todd Harris, Steve Hart, Christopher Healy, Ralph Hellmann, Chris Henick, Terry Holt, David Iannelli, Ed Ingle, Jim Innocenzi, Clark Judge, David Keating, David Kensinger, Bob Kjellander, Ed Kutler, Chris LaCivita, Jim Lake, Steven Law, Steve Lombardo, Kevin Madden, Joel Maiola, Gary Maloney, David Marin, Mary Matalin, Dan Mattoon, Brian McCormack, Mark McKinnon, Kyle McSlarrow, Ken Mehlman, Jim Merrill, Lisa Camooso Miller, Tim Morrison, Mike Murphy, Phil Musser, Ron Nehring, Terry Nelson, Neil Newhouse, David Norcross, Ziad Ojakli, Jack Oliver, Todd Olsen, Kevin O'Neill, Connie Partoyan, Billy Piper, Van B. Poole, Tom Rath, Scott Reed, David Rehr, Tom Reynolds, Steve Roberts, Jason Roe, David Roederer, Dan Schnur, Russ Schriefer, Rich Schwarm, Brent Seaborn, Rick Shelby, Andrew Shore, Kevin Shuvalov, Don Sipple, Ken Spain, Fred Steeper, Bob Stevenson, Terry Sullivan, David Tamasi, Eric Tanenblatt, Richard Temple, Heath Thompson, Jay Timmons, Warren Tompkins, Ted Van Der Meid, Dirk van Dongen, Jan van Lohuizen, Stewart Verdery, Dick Wadhams, John Weaver, Lezlee Westine, Dave Winston, Ginny Wolfe, Fred Wszolek, and Matthew Zablud.

Q: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been surging in our Presidential Power Rankings. Should he be considered the GOP front-runner?

DEMOCRATS (83 VOTES)

Scott Walker (Alex Wong/Getty Images)Yes: 20%No: 80%

Yes

"Walker is the favorite this month. But without a 600-pound gorilla in the race, the GOP race will be like it was in 2012. Every candidate will get to be king for a day."

"He might as well get his turn out of the way and see if he can withstand the front-runner bullets now."

"He's as appealing as Rick Perry and as eloquent as Mitt Romney. Perfect!"

No

"While he is more credible than the random leaders from the primary four years ago, he also is more likely a temporary leader, given his poor skills handling the press and the inevitable Bush fundraising numbers."

"He is the Democrats' dream candidate. Angry and anti-middle-class worker."

"They always flirt with the bad boys and marry the safe guys. Jeb will be declared dead 10 times, and then he'll win the nomination."

"Jeb Bush is still the front-runner, but Walker is a close second."

"He's among the top echelon but not yet the front-runner, which he should not want to be at this point."

"Jeb is still the front-runner. Walker is the conservative du jour."

"Way too early and the field way too crowded for any true front-runner."

Q: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been surging in our Presidential Power Rankings. Should he be considered the GOP front-runner?

REPUBLICANS (87 VOTES)

Yes: 24%No: 76%

Yes

"He's a credible, fresh face in a crowded field. It would be a miracle if he leads wire to wire."

"But a temporary one—we'll see where he stands once the sugar high wears off."

"He now has a target on his back, and it is a long way until the election."

"Yes, he is the front-runner-of-the-month. Seldom does anyone stay there."

No

"Jeb is the front-runner until the first debate."

"He is in the top tier, but the front-runner at this stage is defined by financial support and organization, so it is Jeb Bush."

"A front-runner, not the front-runner. The GOP has two races going: one in the establishment half of the party, the other in the reform half. Bush leads in the establishment. At least for a nanosecond, Walker leads among reformers."

"Get a grip, folks. It wasn't like Walker delivered 'A Time for Choosing' in Iowa. It was one speech."

"He has the buzz factor right now, but until he passes other tests, like fundraising and handling the media glare, he isn't the front-runner. Top tier, yes, but not the front-runner."

"If he's still in the hunt in August, he'll be a front-runner. Current numbers just reflect news coverage. The latest new thing."

"It is too early to pick a front-runner when no one dominates like in past cycles."

"Recent stumbles in the press underscore the fact [that] he has a long way to go before earning front-runner status."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Democratic Political Insiders  Jill Alper, John Anzalone, Brad Bannon, Dave Beattie, Andy Bechhoefer, Cornell Belcher, Matt Bennett, Mitchell W. Berger, Mike Berman, Stephanie Bosh, Paul Brathwaite, Donna Brazile, Mark Brewer, Ed Bruley, George Bruno, Bonnie Campbell, Bill Carrick, Guy Cecil, Martin J. Chavez, Tony Coelho, Larry Cohen, Jerry Crawford, Jeff Danielson, Peter Daou, Howard Dean, Scott DeFife, Jim Demers, Tad Devine, David Di Martino, Monica Dixon, Patrick Dorton, Pat Dujakovich, Anita Dunn, Jeff Eller, Steve Elmendorf, Carter Eskew, Vic Fazio, Peter Fenn, Scott Ferson, Jim Fleischmann, Tina Flournoy, Don Foley, Jeffrey Forbes, Vincent Frillici, Gina Glantz, Niles Godes, John Michael Gonzalez, Joe Grandmaison, Anna Greenberg, Stan Greenberg, Pat Griffin, Larry Grisolano, Michael Gronstal, Lisa Grove, Marcia Hale, Jill Hanauer, Dick Harpootlian, Paul Harstad, Laura Hartigan, Doug Hattaway, Mike Henry, Karen Hicks, Leo Hindery Jr., Harold Ickes, Marcus Jadotte, John Jameson, Steve Jarding, Jonathon Jones, Jim Jordan, Gale Kaufman, Lisa Kountoupes, Celinda Lake, David Lang, Penny Lee, Chris Lehane, Jeff Link, Bob Maloney, Jim Manley, Steve Marchand, Jim Margolis, Paul Maslin, Keith Mason, Susan McCue, Gerald McEntee, Steve McMahon, Tom McMahon, Phil McNamara, David Medina, Michael Meehan, Mark Mellman, John Merrigan, Michael Monroe, Steve Murphy, Janet Napolitano, David Nassar, Marcia Nichols, John Norris, Tom Ochs, Tom O'Donnell, Jeffrey Peck, Debora Pignatelli, Tony Podesta, Jefrey Pollock, Jack Quinn, Larry Rasky, Ed Rendell, Steve Ricchetti, Will Robinson, Steve Rosenthal, David Rudd, Ryan Rudominer, John Ryan, Michael Sargeant, Stephanie Schriock, Terry Shumaker, Sean Sinclair, Phil Singer, Erik Smith, Doug Sosnik, Greg Speed, Darry Sragow, Ken Strasma, Doug Thornell, Jeffrey Trammell, Ed Turlington, Rick Wiener, James Williams, JoDee Winterhof, Brian Wolff, Jon Youngdahl, and Jim Zogby.

GOP Political Insiders  Dan Allen, Stan Anderson, Gary Andres, Saulius (Saul) Anuzis, Rich Ashooh, Whit Ayres, Brett Bader, Mitch Bainwol, Brian Baker, Gary Bauer, David Beckwith, Paul Bennecke, Clark Benson, Wayne Berman, Brian Bieron, Charlie Black, Kirk Blalock, Carmine Boal, Jeff Boeyink, Ron Bonjean, Jeff Buley, Luke Byars, Nick Calio, Al Cardenas, Danny Carroll, Alex Castellanos, Ron Christie, Jim Cicconi, Jonathan Collegio, Rob Collins, Cesar Conda, Jake Corman, Scott Cottington, Jay Cranford, Greg Crist, Diane Crookham-Johnson, Fergus Cullen, Tom Davis, Mike Dennehy, Ken Duberstein, Debi Durham, Sara Fagen, Frank Fahrenkopf, John Feehery, Don Fierce, Mindy Finn, Carl Forti, Alex Gage, Bruce A. Gates, Sam Geduldig, Adam Geller, Benjamin Ginsberg, David Girard-diCarlo, Bill Greener, Jonathan Grella, Lanny Griffith, Janet Mullins Grissom, Doug Gross, Todd Harris, Steve Hart, Christopher Healy, Ralph Hellmann, Chris Henick, Terry Holt, David Iannelli, Ed Ingle, Jim Innocenzi, Clark Judge, David Keating, David Kensinger, Bob Kjellander, Ed Kutler, Chris LaCivita, Jim Lake, Steven Law, Steve Lombardo, Kevin Madden, Joel Maiola, Gary Maloney, David Marin, Mary Matalin, Dan Mattoon, Brian McCormack, Mark McKinnon, Kyle McSlarrow, Ken Mehlman, Jim Merrill, Lisa Camooso Miller, Tim Morrison, Mike Murphy, Phil Musser, Ron Nehring, Terry Nelson, Neil Newhouse, David Norcross, Ziad Ojakli, Jack Oliver, Todd Olsen, Kevin O'Neill, Connie Partoyan, Billy Piper, Van B. Poole, Tom Rath, Scott Reed, David Rehr, Tom Reynolds, Steve Roberts, Jason Roe, David Roederer, Dan Schnur, Russ Schriefer, Rich Schwarm, Brent Seaborn, Rick Shelby, Andrew Shore, Kevin Shuvalov, Don Sipple, Ken Spain, Fred Steeper, Bob Stevenson, Terry Sullivan, David Tamasi, Eric Tanenblatt, Richard Temple, Heath Thompson, Jay Timmons, Warren Tompkins, Ted Van Der Meid, Dirk van Dongen, Jan van Lohuizen, Stewart Verdery, Dick Wadhams, John Weaver, Lezlee Westine, Dave Winston, Ginny Wolfe, Fred Wszolek, and Matthew Zablud.