Since we haven't updated this since the last debate, I figured I'd throw my updated front-runners out there:

 

1. Paul. I can't say enough about how much I like this man's platform. Unfortunately, I don't think he has a chance, though he could get a look as a VP contender depending upon who wins the nomination.

 

2. Kasich. This is a guy who's gotten my attention lately. He's remarkably moderate in many of his stances. I don't much care for his positions on abortion, same-sex marriage, the ACA or marijuana, but his foreign policy and education are reasonable, and I love his positions on reforming law enforcement, immigration and climate change. Even more appealing is that his stance on abortion is fairly reasonable (he doesn't approve of it and doesn't believe it should be funded, but won't shut down the government over it), and while he's clearly against same-sex marriage and the ACA, he has seemingly little motivation to try and overturn either at this point. If Paul drops out, Kasich becomes my favorite.

 

3. O'Malley. I still like O'Malley a lot, but if he doesn't actually begin campaigning, he's DOA.

 

4. Biden. I know, I know, he hasn't declared his candidacy yet, but before he joined President Obama's leftist administration, he was regarded as one of the most moderate Democrats in Congress, and a guy who excelled at reaching across the aisle to make things happen. Even as Obama's right-hand man, he hasn't lost the respect of the Senate. I'd be willing to bet that, as President, he'd shift back to a more moderate position. He'd also become the Democratic leader almost immediately, as the anti-Hillary Democrats who are currently backing Sanders would mostly slide to Biden's column. He'd also pull quite a bit from Hillary's base and really hurt the chances of those two.

 

5...Trump? Sanders? I don't know. Outside of my top four, there seems to be a lot of crap to sift through in hopes of finding a decent candidate. I'm not at all sold on Trump or Sanders, so this is really more of me expressing my dislike for the rest of the field than it is me saying I'd actually vote for either of those two. I sincerely hope this is not that pair going after each other in the general election.

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