And Then There Were Eight

Declared GOP candidates, that is, with Santorum and Pataki making it official; two more, Perry and Graham join the crowd next week. There are also signals that Ohio governor John Kasich is serious about running, as outlined in the Washington Post:

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has been actively gauging reactions to a possible campaign for president in 2016, is now moving rapidly to assemble the staff and financial resources for such a bid and is looking to declare his candidacy sometime after June 30, according to knowledgeable Republicans.

The two-term governor and former House member is running through a checklist before formally entering the race, but strategists close to Kasich and other longtime friends say there is no doubt that he will soon join the crowded field of those vying for the GOP nomination.

If everyone on my Declared, Possible and Late Add lists does in fact run there will be 15 candidates. If former governors Ehrlich and Gilmore, and wink, wink, The Donald jump in too, we'd be at 18. Why so many? First Read at NBC explains it like this:

Turning to the 2016 race, former New York Gov. George Pataki today becomes the latest GOP candidate to enter the presidential race. And it now looks like Ohio Gov. John Kasich is a sure bet to get in, too. So why are there so many Republicans -- as many as 18 (!!!) -- running in the 2016 race? Here are two obvious answers: 1) It's an open seat with history on the GOP's side (only once since Truman has a party held on to the White House for more than two terms), and 2) Jeb Bush isn't intimidating anyone. 

But it's more than that. Another answer is the Santorum Effect -- as 2012 proved, anyone has the ability to be the last man standing against the eventual nominee. There's also the Huckabee Effect -- a strong presidential performance can win you a TV contract. Then there is this fact: There are so many political reporters that almost ANY candidate can get some kind of coverage and find oxygen to justify an existence. And finally, in the Super PAC Era, all it takes is for one political sugar daddy/momma to keep you in the game.

I've updated my list and, just to keep track, I've added numbers to the Declared Candidate category. 

Declared GOP Candidates

1. Ted Cruz (March 23) 
2. Rand Paul (April 7)
3. Marco Rubio (April 14)
4. Dr. Ben Carson (May 3) 
5. Carly Fiorina (May 4) 
6. Mike Huckabee (May 5) 
7. Rick Santorum (May 27)
8. George Pataki (May 28) 

Possible Republican Candidates
Jeb Bush
Chris Christie
Bobby Jindall
John Kasich
Rick Perry (announcement June 4)
Scott Walker

Late Adds on December 22
Lindsey Graham (announcement June 1) 

Officially Not Running
Rob Portman (Dec 2)
Paul Ryan (Jan 12)
Mitt Romney (Jan 30)
Rick Snyder (May 7)
John Bolton (May 14) 

Mike Pence (May 20) 

Days until Election Day: 529