What’s in a name?

Not much, at least not in this election. If you don’t believe me just ask Mark Pryor, Alison Grimes, Michelle Nunn, Mark Begich, Jason Carter (grandson of Jimmy), among others.

Who is the biggest name in the 2016 presidential field? Hillary Clinton, of course.

The Clinton name was hardly magic this year. For example, it didn’t seem to help Pryor in Arkansas. He ended up losing to Tom Cotton by 16 points. That’s Blanche Lincoln territory.

Americans don’t seem to be impressed by old political names. If anything, they may be yearning for fresh faces.

That’s not an entirely new phenomenon. What face has ever been fresher than Barack Obama’s in 2008?

The winning recipe for Republicans may be to eschew Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney (assuming they run) and find a face that is fresh in a candidate who has substantial experience governing. Scott Walker might be a good example. Bobby Jindal might be another.

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