Donald Trump is still the Republican primary frontrunner, outlasting any other 'fad' candidate since at least 2004

(Image credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

published 20 October 2015

At what point is a fad no longer a fad? As of Monday, Donald Trump has been the GOP frontrunner in the primary polls for longer than any other "fad" candidate since at least 2004, according to numbers crunched by Bruce Mehlman at Mehlman Castagnetti for the quarterly Washington Update. Howard Dean, who was governor of Vermont during the 2004 election, is the next longest-lasting "fad" candidate, having been the frontrunner for the Democratic primary for 90 days in 2004. Donald Trump broke that record on Monday with 91 days — over three months in the lead.

Other memorable primary fads have had much shorter runs in first place, including Herman Cain's 22 days in 2012, Mike Huckabee's 37 days in 2008, and Dick Gephardt's 11 days in 2004. Donald Trump, meanwhile, has been rising in the polls since late September, holding first-choice support of 25 percent of GOP primary voters, The Wall Street Journal reports.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.