It’s within that bottom tier where I think there may be 2-3 candidates who may be doing much better in the late fall than they are here in late summer.

1. Rick Perry – Perry surprisingly sits this low. I suspect that a good portion of that lack of support stems from the fact this is his second time around and his fall was so spectacular in 2011 that GOP voters are thinking he may have to sell himself again. He’s been the fiercest critic of Donald Trump, but it hasn’t helped much. Still, Rick Perry boasts a very impressive record as Governor and as more people start paying attention, they’ll get to see that. On everything from jobs to education, Texas is very impressive…

2. Chris Christie – I know this will get some darts thrown my way. I’m not saying Christie wins the nomination. I am merely suggesting he’s in a better position in several months than he is now. Christie is spending some money aggressively on ads, and he is using his experience as a federal prosecutor to make his case for being somebody voters can trust on national security. He has the “straight talk” people find appealing with Donald Trump but can offer more substance behind it…

3. Carly Fiorina – Of all the candidates who are languishing near the bottom of the polls (she’s currently behind Rick Santorum in the RCP polling average), Fiorina is one of the most impressive. She’s excellent in interviews and knows the issues and policies up and down. There is never any hesitation when she speaks, and she has largely trained her sights not on other Republicans, but on Hillary Clinton alone. And she has pulled no punches when doing so.