You wanna know who the Republican nominee is gonna be?
I do too. We could just wait until the primary results start rolling in.
I think we'll see signs before that.
Keep your eyes peeled for the next Des Moines Register poll. They tend to be very accurate about Iowa. One thing we need to remember is that people are highly influenced by big events (like a good showing in Iowa or an upset in NH). Those polls in IA and NH will tell us a lot.
There are other places to look for clues.
Does any candidate look like they're having fun? Not pretending but really looking like they're having fun? Those types of candidates usually do well in these types of election years.
What issues dominate in the next few weeks?
Domestic issues will tend to benefit Romney, Huckabee and Fred Thompson. Security or foreign issues would tend to benefit McCain or Giuliani who are perceived as strong leaders.
Which candidate ads do the media pick-up. Those concise ads can be powerful.