Candidate Evaluation Quotes

Belonging to one party is acceptable. But my days of just ticking the party box are long over. I judge the candidates for who they are.

I'm not wasting my time with any more non-straight-talking candidates.

Those of us and so many other stalwart critics and opponents and questioners and dissidents in conservative media were attacked for doing what those people in the mainstream media should have been doing. Do your job! Subject these political candidates to the same amount of scrutiny that you are now trying to compensate for with the incoming Trump administration!

How can you run for president if you don't know the job description?

This election is not about ideology. It's about competence.

A presidential debate is a job interview. And voters look for certain traits in people applying to be president.

Voters are not great at reading issues. They are great at reading character.

A personnel guy always wants to get his pick right. We live that every year. We want to make sure the pick is right.

[Senator] Kerry [democrat MA] is emerging as the worst of all the viable Democratic candidates. He has the backbone of Clinton and the charm of Gore.

I’d rather interview 50 people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person.

I think that when Americans go to vote, states should not list what party the candidates are affiliated with. That would require voters to actually think and get to know a candidate instead of voting for their favorite gang. 'Oh, this guy is a Republican, so he must be good.'

Political reporters and political professionals rushed to judgment against Romney because we crave clear, unambiguous story lines.

When I heard Jeb was running, I first thought, 'Wow, I'm not sure I could go through another campaign,' but Jeb is so smart.

Some people advocate public nomination and a three-track system - allowing voters and political parties to make nominations along with the committee. These people do not want any screening of candidates, but they have not clearly defined the concept of 'screening.'

There aren't many women now I'd like to see as President - but there are fewer men.

No matter what name we give it or how we judge it, a candidate's character is central to political reporting because it is central to a citizen's decision in voting.

The judgment that every voter is making of every one of us [running for presidency] who has the experience, who has the vision, who has the judgment to be commander in chief. That is the most important decision for the voters to make. That's a standard I'm held to. And it's a standard everyone else is held to.

Anyway, I just haven't been able to find any humanity in any Republican candidate ever in my entire life.

It's not a very high failure rate if you choose people that you really like the sound of.

What characteristics do I look for when hiring somebody? That's one of the questions I ask when interviewing. I want to know what kind of people they would hire.

When I interview people, I look at their values. I always say that the best chance of success is if the individual's values are aligned with the corporate values.

If I interview somebody for an hour, I'm looking for four amazing minutes.

Maybe instead of asking political candidates to submit tax returns, we really should be asking to see their brain scans.

I think an interview, properly considered, should be an investigation. You shouldn't know what the interview will yield. Otherwise, why do it at all?

It is often constructive to meet with a candidate for a particular office, but I believe what is most important is the candidate's track record.