Remember Gary Hart in 1984?

Gary Hart was polling at 1% or less pretty consistently throughout the months leading up to the primaries. A lot of Democrats saw Mondale as a weak candidate and were looking for an alternative. John Glenn was that alternative for a while, as was Ernest Hollings for a short time, and even Alan Cranston and Ru Askew got serious consideration. But none of them was able to seal the deal and fell by the wayside.

Then out of nowhere, Hart placed second in Iowa and a week later shocked the country by winning New Hampshire hands down. He didn't win the nomination, but came very close.

I'm wondering if one of the low-ranking Republican candidates is going to pull a Gary Hart. Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry have plunged and Herman Cain's scandals should disqualify him. The anti-Romney camp needs someone to turn to and then need them now.

Is there a chance the Republicans could come out of the New Hampshire primary with a two-man race between Romney and Huntsman? Or Romney and Johnson? Or someone else who will be a complete surprise?

It's going to be Romney. Actually, too, Hart didn't almost win the nomination. At the balloting of the Democratic convention in 1984 Mondale had 2,191 delegates, Hart 1,200 and Jackson 465.5. So Mondale had a clear majority. While Hart did come from behind in NH and do well in some early contests and then in some western contests, it was independents who supported him by and large. Dems and the old Democratic coalition (unions, jews, minorities, Big industrial states) tended to support Mondale.

But if he wasn't forced out of the race in 88 for his sexual peccadilloes I think he beats Bush Pere. The lackluster Mike Dukakis got 46% of the vote.