As of Tuesday, with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie squeezing into the clown car that is the race for the Republican presidential nomination, 15 men and one woman are competing to carry the GOP standard. Never before under modern nomination rules have so many plausible contenders been in the mix. All but three are former or current senators or governors who, in a smaller group, would be considered viable contenders. If all these candidates hang in there for eight to 12 months, GOP voters will find that every vote counts.