Dark Horse rising.

Polls confirm what has been obvious on Tea Party Nation’s forums and on other conservative websites throughout the country. 

If conservative voters are given a choice between the current announced or probable candidates and the choice “someone else,” someone else wins. 

There are some conservatives in the race people like.  Michele Bachmann remains a Tea Party favorite.  Herman Cain, fresh off an impressive performance at the South Carolina debate is also well liked among conservatives.   Despite the affection the Tea Party has for them, there is concern about their electability. 

There is also the list of bad candidates.  These include Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee, Johnson and Huntsman.  These are the establishment candidates who if elected, would probably govern right of center, but would offer no conservative blue print for the future.  They offer nothing new.  They do not want to dismantle socialism, only manage it.  Under any of these establishment candidates, socialism would not be reversed; only the growth of socialism would be slowed.

There are the unknowns, such as Pawlenty and Roemer.  Pawlenty who supported cap and trade and Roemer who is a conservative but is unknown and offers no real reason for anyone to vote for him. 

And there are the conservatives who either are not running or probably will not run.  This list includes Allen West and Sarah Palin.  While both politicians generate passion, they have not shown the ability to unify the conservative movement, a crucial concern if they were to run and possibly a major reason why neither will likely run.

Among the conservative faithful, there is a restlessness.  There is a feeling that we really need a Reagan conservative that is not yet out there. 

There is another individual who is starting to pick up buzz and some interest among conservatives and major conservative donors.   We have mentioned him before on Tea Party Nation.

Thaddeus McCotter.

McCotter has a solid conservative pedigree.  He opposed the Bush bailouts and TARP.  McCotter is almost the anti-politician, as he is not interested in celebrity.   Fox News talk show host Greg Gutfield said, “In my mind, he’s one of the few pols who seem less interested in impressing celebrities or making cheap points of sentimentality than preserving the freedoms unique to our delightful island nation.”

S.E. Cupp, conservative columnist and author wrote about McCotter, “Amid a sea of slick salesmen vying for the Oval Office, including the man who currently occupies it, McCotter’s disregard for personal glory, his contempt for power grabs and his ability to bring common-sense solutions to some of our most nagging national problems might not make him the darling of the political glitterati. It should, however, make him a candidate for President.”

McCotter has not exactly expressed interest in the job, but he has left the door open. 

While it is still early in the political season, we are moving to the point where the conservatives in the GOP need to agree on a candidate and support that candidate.  By early fall, this needs to be not an idea but a reality.  Almost every poll out there has Romney with a lead.  Mitt Romney may be the one Republican who can guarantee Barack Obama a second term.   Before we can stop a second Obama term, we must first stop a Romney nomination.

With the unease conservatives look at the current field, perhaps we do need to look outside of the field.  Thad McCotter is definitely a rising star and since the conservative movement is not unified behind someone right now, he definitely merits a strong look and perhaps some encouragement to jump in this race!