New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have made 2016 headlines more than any other potential candidates, according to a new Pew Research Center media analysis.
Researchers studied 15 of the top papers from Jan. 1 through Sept. 27 and found that both Mr. Christie and Mrs. Clinton had each been the subject of 82 stories linking them to a 2016 presidential campaign.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/14/media-coverage-of-the-2016-presidential-race-heats-up/
Former GOP 2012 nominee Mitt Romney was third on the list, with 74 campaign-related stories. Mr. Romney has toyed with the idea of a third presidential campaign, saying he did not plan to run in 2016 but “circumstances can change.”
Overall, more media stories have focused on potential GOP candidates, with 202 mentions, rather than Democratic candidates, with 115. Eleven different Republican candidates were mentioned at least 20 times each, further demonstrating that the 2016 race is still very open for GOP hopefuls.
Following Mr. Romney in the 2016 media buzz is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, with 68 mentions, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, with 67, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with 53 stories focused on a possible presidential run.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has insisted that she has no intentions of running for the Democratic nomination, but has still been tied to the idea in 22 media reports, putting her in second place.
Vice President Joseph R. Biden took the third-place spot with 18 campaign stories, and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley garnered sizable 2016 attention with 16 stories highlighting him as a potential Democratic contender.
According to the report, media reports speculating on the 2016 campaign have nearly doubled since the last cycle. With two years left until the elections, the study found that 540 newspaper stories have been written about the race compared to 271 stories about the 2012 campaign written around the same time in 2010.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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