By Pete Carril

With the Iowa caucuses less than a month away and the conventions coming this summer, the race for the Republican Presidential nomination is in full swing, and providing no shortage of talking points. The variety of storylines and diversity of candidates has served as a way to polarize the debate surrounding the race, a conversation which exists in numerous arenas throughout the country, Lafayette College included.

One issue that consistently challenges the Republican field is the absence of a candidate who poses a legitimate threat to President Obama’s reelection. While many view Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich as the most serious contenders, President of the Lafayette College Libertarians Andreas Lezis ‘12 believes that Texas Congressman Ron Paul is the strongest candidate the Republican field has to offer.

Lezis sees Paul as the candidate to beat because he bucks partisan conventions.

“Ron Paul has been far ahead of the Republican and Democrat curve: he was against the war in Iraq before anyone else, he opposed the wide-ranging Patriot Act, he supports people’s choices to marry whomever they want, and he saw the financial crisis coming before most politicians,” Lezis said.

The proof, Lezis said, is in the pudding: Paul is “currently leading in polls in Iowa, the first caucus state.” (The latest poll shows Paul slipping into second, behind Newt Gingrich.)

Ron Paul may fit the Libertarian mold of a presidential candidate, but according to Vice President of the Lafayette College Republicans Garrett Rice ‘12, Mitt Romney still gives the GOP the best chance at a victory in 2012, despite his third place finish in the Iowa poll.

“He’s charismatic, not as conservative as many of the other candidates, and the only thing people have against him is that he’s a Mormon,” Rice said.

Indeed, Romney’s religion may serve as a barrier to his nomination. To Rice, this is absurd. “Anyone who won’t vote for Romney because he is a Mormon should make sure they actually understand the religion before judging it so harshly.”

Co-Presidents of the Lafayette College Democrats Rachel Lewitt ‘13 and Lauren White ‘13 agreed with Rice that Mitt Romney is a very real threat “ironically because he is most like Obama.”

As to whether Obama will be successful in his quest for four more years, both Lezis and Rice agree that victory for the President will be a very tall order. Lezis pointed out an important, tormenting statistic for the Democrats: “No president since FDR has been reelected when the unemployment rate was above 7.2 percent. It’s 9 percent right now, and won’t be significantly lower by next November.”

Unemployment fell to 8.6 percent at the beginning of this month.

Asked whether the President will win in 2012, Rice said, “For the sake of the United States of America, I certainly hope not.”

Lewitt and White responded with a simple yes.