The Republican Primary: Scoring the Candidates

As the Republican Primaries get underway with the Iowa Caucuses having started a little over two hours ago, those of us at PROskore thought it would be fun to calculate the professional reputation scores (i.e. PROskore) for each of the seven presidential hopefuls.

Although these scores have no relevance on the actual outcome of the primaries, we were curious to see how the candidates overall scores measure up to one another.  Plus, it's a great opportunity to breakdown how our scoring algorithm works by measuring: 1) Social Media Influence (Facebook Followers + Twitter Followers, etc.)   2) Professional Background (Educational Achievements + Work Experience, etc.).

Based on each of these two factors, Ron Paul has the highest PROskore followed by Newt Gingrich, and Mitt Romney.  Their impressive professional backgrounds and educational experiences combined with their overall social media popularity is what helped propel them to the top of the list.

It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks what correlation (if any) there is between a candidates PROskore and their success in the primaries.Check out the breakdown of each of the candidates with a link to their PROskore profiles, below:

The Tale of the Tape:

Ron Paul:

Twitter Followers:  150,000

Facebook Followers:  675,000

YouTube Views:  36,000,000

LinkedIn Connections:   500+

Google+ Followers:  107,000

Highest Degree Earned: M.D. from Duke University

Earned Extra Points for.... Serving in the Armed Forces

Klout Score:  75

PROskore = 95
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Newt Gingrich:

Twitter Followers:  1,385,000

Facebook Followers:  224,000

YouTube Views:  6,300,000 

LinkedIn Connections:   500+

Google+ Followers:  63,000

Highest Degree Earned:  Doctorate in History, Tulane University

Earned Extra Points for... Becoming Speaker of the House

Klout Score:  78

PROskore = 91
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Mitt Romney:

Twitter Followers:  220,000

Facebook Followers:  1,267,000

YouTube Views:  6,700

LinkedIn Connections:   No LinkedIn Profile

Google+ Followers:  4,300

Highest Degree Earned:  MBA from Harvard University

Earned Extra Points for... Elected as Governor of Massachusetts

Klout Score:  78

PROskore = 82
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Rick Perry:

Twitter Followers:  112,000

Facebook Followers:  180,000

YouTube Views:  13,000,000

LinkedIn Connections:   500+

Google+ Followers:  2,971

Highest Degree Earned:  Bachelors in Animal Science from Texas A&M

Earned Extra Points for... Elected as Governor of Texas

Klout Score:  74

PROskore = 81

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Jon Huntsman:

Twitter Followers:  67,000

Facebook Followers:  31,000

YouTube Views:  635,000

LinkedIn Connections:   No LinkedIn Profile

Google+ Followers:  1,200

Highest Degree Earned:  Bachelors in International Politics from University of Pennsylvania

Earned Extra Points for... Elected as Governor of Utah

Klout Score:  70

PROskore = 69

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Michele Bachmann:

Twitter Followers:  36,000

Facebook Followers:  460,000

YouTube Views:  1,400,000

LinkedIn Connections:   No LinkedIn Profile

Google+ Followers:  No Google+ Profile 

Highest Degree Earned:  Juris Doctorate from Oral Roberts University

Earned Extra Points for... Elected as U.S. Congresswoman

Klout Score:  68

PROskore = 66

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Rick Santorum:

Twitter Followers:  53,000

Facebook Followers:  42,000

YouTube Views:  43,000

LinkedIn Connections:   350

Google+ Followers:  No Google+ Profile

Highest Degree Earned:  Juris Doctorate from Dickinson College

Earned Extra Points for... Elected as United States Senator

Klout Score:  70

PROskore = 63

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