I know it’s silly, but my favorite candidate for 2016 is still Mitt Romney. Third time’s the charm, eh? But, since that’s not likely, I’m kind of desperate to find anyone who isn’t either Cruz or McCain. I feel like they represent the polar disparities of the GOP.

So the natural person to look to is Chris Christie, but some of what I’ve learned has made me wary of his campaign, including the difficulty the Romney campaign had in vetting him in 2012. Marc Thiessen at the WaPo makes the case that Scott Walker, current governor of Wisconsin and the only governor in US history to survive a recall,  should be on the radar:

Walker survived the 2012 recall by mobilizing his conservative base with his courageous, unflinching stand — and appealing to persuadable, reform-minded, results-oriented independents, who provided the critical margin of victory. That is precisely what Republicans need to do nationally if they want to win back the presidency in 2016.

A staunch, full-spectrum conservative who is reasonable and appeals to moderates? Yes, please. I thought this quote was funny as well:

Walker delivers everything Christie does it terms of appealing to the center — but without the ideological compromise. And he delivers everything Ted Cruz does in terms of taking the fight to the left — but without the losing.

Without the losing, in particular, would be nice.