When evaluating potential presidential candidates, we should expect high quality, if somewhat flawed, candidates. But as I looked at how the field might shape up, I wondered how people might decide on who might have potential, and who would be completely out of the running. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that many of us seem to have clear preferences, but I’m frequently not clear on the criteria people use. In these times, it’s fruitless to try to find an ideal candidate: too many have baggage or have demonstrated attributes that we dislike or even hate.

I started to think about my choices at this point, and I have very clear reasons for a couple of the potential candidates, but beyond those two, I’m not sure how I feel about the others. There are people who we are now in the running—Donald Trump and Nikki Haley—but I wonder what attributes, positive or negative, stand out for you when you look at some of the others, like Mike Pompeo, Ron DeSantis, Glenn Youngkin, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Kristi Noem, Mike Lee, Mike Pence, Greg Abbott.