It's early in 2015 and already every Republican and their Republican brother is running for President. Except Mitt Romney. He's not running. Neither is his Republican brother.

The primary started when polls closed last November (if we're being honest, they started months ago it's just that we were distracted briefly by the midterms). Republicans will eventually need to pick their nominee. Here's what I think Republicans should consider when choosing a Presidential nominee.

Principles Not Profiles

During the process of strategizing how to get a Republican in the White House it has occurred to many that we must run a Republican woman for President. Here's the thing. The media and the Democrats never give us a free pass on our nominee. Ever. If we don't nominate a woman we won't be as pro-woman as the Democrats are with Hillary Clinton. If we do nominate a woman, we'll be copy catting the Ds. There's no way to win that argument. At least not with Democrats. At the end of the day we should pick who we think is the best candidate for America. We shouldn't try to pre-suppose the type of candidate we need and then just pick one that fits the mold.

The Democrats are running Hillary because she is their best option to win. Not because she is a woman. They will never say it on the campaign trail but that is the truth. If the Democrats thought Hillary Clinton would get creamed they wouldn't go ahead run her on principle. They would find someone else. We should run our best candidate. Not the candidate who fits an arbitrary profile.

Politics is not a science. It's an art. We're not nominating a gender, a race, or a religion for President. We're nominating a person. Let's pick the best one.

Possible Not Perfect

Are you looking for the perfect Conservative candidate for President? Stop. Just stop right now. You won't find them. Even Reagan wasn't perfect. Stop looking for a candidate that's perfect. Look for a candidate with principles that could win. For every potential candidate someone could in 30 seconds dig up a news article that makes them look like a liberal Democrat.

Here's reality. Some Republcians have supported immigration reform. Others common core. Some of them expanded Medicaid. Some wouldn't repeal Obamacare. Some aren't pro-life. Some of them have been funded by big money. No candidate is perfect. Find a principled candidate and support them in the primary and then support whoever isn't Hillary in the general.

When the primary dust clears and it's Hillary v. the Republican nominee, the only possible way we can get a halfway decent President is supporting the Republican. End of story. It is your right to write-in a candidate, not vote for President, or not vote at all. Just know that all of those alternatives are helping to elect Hillary Clinton. The only thing that helps elect a Republican is voting for a Republican.

Final Word

I have already made up my mind about who I'm going to support for President. The Republican nominee.

Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate for the last 6 years. In the last election Republicans finally broke through and took control of the Senate. From everything I've read Harry Reid was not just partisan, but also barely allowed the Senate to function. He hardly considered bills of any kind from the Republican House and often wouldn’t allow votes on Republican amendments in the Senate.

It's not as if the Republican controlled Senate will allow Democrats to run the show, but I think they’ve shown at the very least they may allow the process (like Democrat amendments) to be considered even if they get voted down. Republicans can restore the process and allow Congress to work. I want the White House to work. I think a solid Republican nominee can give America a working White House.