Who Should Exit 2012 Republican Presidential Race? (ContributorNetwork)

ANALYSIS | With only a few months to go before the first votes of the 2012 GOP primary will be cast, only a handful of the current field of Republican candidates still have a decent shot at winning the nomination. The remaining candidates are either polling below the statistical error or having significant financial troubles. Here are some of the Republican candidates most likely to drop out in the coming months.

1. Gary Johnson

The former New Mexico governor is the invisible man in the 2012 GOP race. Johnson's campaign has received very little media coverage. Most voters either don't know who he is or are unfamiliar with his campaign platforms. The North Dakota native has only been invited to two of the eight televised debates. His performances in these two debates were rather forgettable, though he did attract some attention for a funny line about "shovel-ready" jobs. It was revealed later that he might have borrowed the line from Rush Limbaugh.

In addition to barely registering in national polls, Johnson has also been excluded from most major straw polls due to insufficient support. It is inconceivable that Johnson would be able to obtain enough signatures to get on the ballot in key primary states.

2. Rick Santorum

For the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania to have success in the Republican primary, he will need to win the social conservative vote. Unfortunately, competition for this key GOP voting bloc is rather stiff with several other candidates including Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann also vying for the big prize. It is doubtful that Santorum has the resources to compete against these three leading candidates in states like Iowa and South Carolina. Santorum's campaign should last at least until the Iowa caucuses, but is unlikely to progress beyond that.

3. Jon Huntsman

The former Utah governor has hoped that his strong appeal to moderate Republicans and independents will help carry him to the nomination. Unfortunately, Mitt Romney has managed to upstage him in winning over these two critical voting blocs. The latest Insider Advantage poll shows Romney beating Huntsman by a whopping 34 percent in independent-rich New Hampshire. Huntsman is tied for fourth behind Herman Cain and Ron Paul. The Utah native has his reasons to stay in the race through the New Hampshire primary, but his campaign is likely to end there.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111020/pl_ac/10252285_who_should_exit_2012_republican_presidential_race

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