America's Avengers - The Daily Bugle's Breakdown of Presidential Election Candidates

With the introduction of Steve Rogers to the Presidential race, the issue of superhuman powers jumped into the usual mix of politics, budgets and skeletons. Critics immediately complained that reforming the Avengers while announcing his run was an unfair tactic. Others say that Rogers took perfect advantage of his unique place in the public eye. Much of his campaign's hopes ride on how well his team of Avengers handle being in the public eye. Rogers also opened his arms to former teammates, with Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton signing on in advisory roles to the campaign. There's a lot of goodwill towards Captain America and the Avengers. Rogers seems poised to ride that wave into the White House, but it's a long way to November.

The race's previous frontrunner shares many of the same attributes with Rogers. He's white, male, square-jawed and has a public reputation that's squeaky clean. While George Roxxon doesn't have a mask or a shield, his work balancing environmental causes with business savvy has friends on both sides of the aisle. Oil companies still have plenty of sway despite the work of Stark/Stane and the Fantastic Foundation on matters of clean energy. Roxxon might be able to turn things around by mining an image of safety. He's not going to be tempted to handle a Latverian crisis personally, nor will he draw undue attention from Atlantean leaders looking to settle any percieved slights.

Coming from a rich family backed by a powerful corporation seems like an easy way to make a play for the presidency. Niles Osborn offers a candidate that mixes Roxxon's pedigree of corporate leadership with Rogers superhero celebrity. Oscorp's reputation as The House the Goblin Built gives him a bad boy vibe lacking elsewhere in the field. His recent announcement of the return of his father Harry to the Board of Directors lets him focus on the campaign at hand.

If superheroes are going to be an important part of this year's campaign, one candidate runs with that issue front and center. Senator Meghan Kelly is part of an unlikely political dynasty. Her father, Robert Kelly, introduced the Mutant Registration Act thirty years ago. She was there the day Magneto attacked the US Senate building and killed her father. Kelly made headlines with her reaction to the recent mutant unrest by suggestion that her father's legislation didn't go far enough. Controversial candidates like Kelly rarely get elected, but they often play kingmaker by forcing others to stand on their issues one way or the other.