But which one of the possible contenders is most likely to govern like the Gipper?
For the answer, we turned to Crowdpac, a group started by Stanford University political scientists that ranks politicians on an ideological scale between liberal and conservative by examining public statements, voting records, donors and their own giving to other candidates.
Crowdpac issues politicians a score on a scale of 0-10, zero being the most moderate and 10 being the most conservative. (Democrats are ranked on the same scale, but the 10-score for them goes from moderate to liberal.) Of course, ideological rating systems that compare a combination of political actors—governors, senators, House members, former presidents and private citizens–are never perfect. But Crowdpac’s analysts say their system of tracking money in politics is one of the best way to predict how a politician will vote on an issue.
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“Spending rose more dramatically under Reagan than it did under Carter,” Paul said during a 2009 speech at Western Kentucky University, a year before he became senator. “You say, ‘Well, Reagan’s a conservative. Carter’s a liberal.’ It’s not necessarily always what it seems.”
Regardless of who ends up running, all the GOP candidates will pay a visit together to the Reagan Library in September for a presidential debate hosted by CNN.
