A major question going into the election process that voters have to ask is that of electability.

The Democrats

The Democratic field only consists of 2 candidates: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Electability doesn't appear to be going through the minds of any voters at this point, which is actually typical of Democrats. Clinton has a major advantage in the nomination race: She is the establishment candidate. And in the Democratic Party, the establishment candidate has always won. 2000: Al Gore defeats insurgent Bill Bradley. 2004: John Kerry defeats insurgent Howard Dean. It is very likely that now, in 2008, Hillary Clinton will defeat insurgent Barack Obama.

But in a national race, electability is a difficult question between these. They are both very similar on the issues, but likability is a big difference. Barack Obama is just more likable than Hillary Clinton. This gives him a much greater chance over any Republican, none of which seem to have the likability that Obama enjoys.

The Republicans

The GOP field is interesting because each candidate has individual obstacles to overcome. However, what will become the primary difference between the candidates will be the issues and conservatism. None of the candidates are Ronald Reagan, but some are more conservative than others. Conservatism wins in this country every time it runs against liberalism, and Republicans need to choose a conservative. This rules out both McCain and Huckabee, who are blatantly liberal on several issues, not least of which include immigration and taxes. If we nominate any of the candidates except for these two, I believe that ticket can defeat either Democrat.

The Last Word

For the Democrats, the most electable nationally is probably Barack Obama, not because of the issues but because of how likable he is. For the Republicans, any candidate other than Huckabee or McCain can defeat either Democrat.