POWER RANKINGS: Here's who has the best chance at being our next president by Brett LoGiurato and Andy Kiersz on Jan 28, 2016, 11:13 AM Advertisement
 In less than a week, the first votes of the 2016 presidential primary will be cast in the Iowa caucuses. Heading into the final Republican debate Thursday night before the caucuses, insurgent "outsiders" from both parties have made their mark on the already extensive primary process. On the Republican side, businessman Donald Trump finds himself in perhaps his strongest position yet, leading all national polls and most surveys of the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. This comes from a candidate who was largely expected to wane as the summer, let alone fall, let alone winter, went on. In the Democratic primary, meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has surged of late. He is poised for potential upsets of the front-runner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in the first two voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Clinton still holds a sizeable, if shrinking, national poll lead. So with the voting about to begin, here's another look at who has the best chance of making it to the White House to succeed President Barack Obama. Our rankings are based on the Real Clear Politics averages of national polls and those in the first-voting states of New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina. We also factor in candidates' fund-raising prowess and their momentum (or lack thereof) over the past few weeks. Here's a look at where all the candidates stand. (All poll results as of Tuesday.) SEE ALSO: One of America's most respected former military officials is worried about the 2016 presidential field 14. Rick Santorum, Republican, former senator from Pennsylvania  It's sometimes easy to forget that Santorum won 11 states in his 2012 primary matchup with Mitt Romney, the eventual Republican nominee — including the Iowa caucus. That's because he still hasn't even been a blip on the radar in the 2016 race. He is facing stauncher competition this time around, and he has not solved his biggest problem from 2012: money. He raised less than $400,000 in third-quarter fund-raising and had just more than $200,000 in cash on hand, the kind of money that doesn't bode well for staying power in a crowded field. The state that provided his biggest win in 2012, Iowa, also hasn't given him the same kind of love. Despite focusing on the Hawkeye State, he still barely registers in polling there, placing 11th in an average of recent polls. He has lingered around that level since he entered the race. National polling average among Republican voters: 0.2% (11th)
Iowa: 1% (11th)
New Hampshire: 0.2 (11th)
South Carolina: 0.5% (11th) STOCK: Neutral
Last month: 14
13. Martin O'Malley, Democrat, former Maryland governor  O'Malley has watched as Bernie Sanders has entrenched himself as the progressive alternative to Hillary Clinton, outflanking O'Malley's attempts to outflank Clinton from the left. Despite a vigorous campaign schedule, O'Malley is still not well known nationally, and he has been unable to boost his poll numbers even in a three-way race. O'Malley has an accomplished progressive record as governor, with achievements — on immigration, criminal justice, same-sex marriage, and healthcare, among others — that he can legitimately tout to Democratic voters. But he hasn't been able to break out of the doldrums. National polling average among Democratic voters: 2.2% (3rd)
Iowa: 4.3% (3rd)
New Hampshire: 2.6% (3rd)
South Carolina: 1.5% (3rd) STOCK: Falling
Last month: 13
12. Mike Huckabee, Republican, former Arkansas governor  Huckabee has continued an attempt to endear himself to conservative, evangelical voters. But he's clearly falling short. The first part of his presumed theoretical path to the nomination — winning Iowa, the state he captured in 2008 — is in serious limbo. He polls just eighth in the Hawkeye State, and he has kept slipping there continually over the past two months. This Republican field may be too crowded for a candidate like Huckabee. He is extremely popular with evangelical conservatives, but many of those conservatives look as if they're flocking to candidates such as Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). National polling average among Republican voters: 2.5% (T-7th)
Iowa: 2.2% (8th)
New Hampshire: 0.7% (10th)
South Carolina: 2% (T-9th) STOCK: Falling
Last month: 11
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