Republican presidential race: Who will heed Walker's call?

Farewell Scott Walker, we hardly knew ye.

We didn't get much of a chance to know ye better during the Republican debates, either, when your opportunities to speak were infrequent and, when you did, you were hardly memorable.

Now you're gone, a victim of low poll numbers and an overly ambitious campaign structure that ground to a halt when the money ran out.

Congratulations are in order to those who put bets down on Walker to be the next victim of the Republican Presidential Hunger Games. He was No 7 on our first list, paying out a quite profitable 50-1.

Turn in your winning tickets now, before the Wisconsin governor announces his campaign for the 2020 Republican nomination.

As for the rest of the bottom of the field, things have shaken up a bit since the second Republican debate in California. A few candidates have improved their odds, while others are teetering ever closer to the abyss.

When Walker dropped out of the presidential race, he called on other candidates to join him in clearing the way for a more optimistic (and less Trump-ish) primary race. Here, then, is an updated list of the candidates most likely to be next in line for the political void.

9. Donald Trump

That's right, the Donald is still on this list. In fact, his odds have improved a bit in the last week. He took a beating in the second Republican debate and looked somewhat haggard as the event dragged into its third hour, prompting him to complain about the lack of proper air conditioning at the venue. A presidential campaign is an endurance test, and there's evidence that Trump just isn't having as much fun as he once was. He cancelled an appearance at a presidential forum in South Carolina at the last minute and, during an appearance on Stephen Colbert's late-night show, he seemed humble and restrained. That's not the braggadocious Donald Trump we know and love. Odds: 250-1.

8. Mike Huckabee

With Walker dropping out, there's a new spot on our list and it belongs to the former Arkansas governor. Huckabee grabbed centre stage during the Kim Davis marriage license saga in Kentucky, but it hasn't given him a bump. In fact, his poll numbers have been in steady decline both nationally and in Iowa - a state he won in 2008 - since July. He's running a low-budget campaign so he's probably not in too much trouble yet, but the outlook isn't rosy. Odds: 200-1

7. Lindsey Graham

If there was a winner of the second-tier debate in California, it's likely Graham. He seemed considerably more animated than he had been in the Cleveland face-off, quipping about his less-than-stellar academic record and his willingness to drink with adversaries if he becomes president (a development that's still very, very unlikely, by the way). Walker's early exit may lead him think he's positioned to make it on the big stage if a few more of the top-tier contenders drop out. Hope can be a dangerous thing. Odds: 70-1

6. Chris Christie

The New Jersey governor is a big mover on this list. He was heralded as one of the California debate's winners, along with Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina. In addition, he's benefitted a bit from Walker's collapse. Stanley Hubbard, a Minnesota media mogul who was a significant donor to the Wisconsinite's campaign, announced he's now contributing to Christie. In addition, the Christie team said it had attracted the support of a former Walker Iowa campaign official. Those are small shafts of light, true, but it should be enough to keep the man in the game. Odds: 50-1

5. George Pataki

Pataki had a chance to play the grown-in the room during the "kids table" debate in Los Angeles, lecturing Rick Santorum on why, exactly, Supreme Court decisions are the law of the land and civil disobedience includes accepting the consequences of one's actions. Other than that, however, there's not much news out of the former New York governor's campaign - and when you're scuffling along at around 1% in the polls, no news is bad news. Odds: 40-1

4. Rand Paul

Rand Paul was passionate about sentencing reform and marijuana decriminalisation during the second Republican debate. Unfortunately for the Kentucky senator, those issues just aren't that important to rank-and-file Republican voters. The polling trend lines over the last several months have been heading only one direction - down - and his campaign fundraising emails are taking on an increasingly dire tone. There's still some enthusiasm for the senator on college campuses, but it's nothing compared to the excitement his father was generating during his two presidential runs. And remember, his father still lost - by a lot. Odds: 20-1

3. Rick Santorum

Not surprisingly given his low poll standing, Santorum was asked if he would heed Walker's call to give up the presidential ship. "I appreciate his advice," Santorum replied. "I'll trust the people of Iowa to know when we should drop out of the race." The thing is, the people in Iowa seem to be genuinely uninterested in Santorum's second try at the presidency. Back in June Santorum held a campaign event in Iowa, and only one voter showed up. Odds: 10-1

2. Jim Gilmore

CNN didn't invite Jim Gilmore to the second-tier debate in Los Angeles, citing poll numbers that put him below its self-imposed 1% cut-off. Instead, the former Virginia governor spent the evening live-tweeting his response to the questions from his campaign headquarters in Alexandria (which is not, as far as we know, in his home's basement). His 1,456 followers were probably thrilled to learn that Gilmore would choose Molly Pitcher as the woman to put on the $10 bill. Gilmore has picked up another 300 followers since then, so there's always the chance he'll stay in this thing as long as he keeps bringing in enough money to pay his internet bill. Odds: 5-1

1. Bobby Jindal

Once again the Louisiana governor is at the top of the list. In the most recent Fox News poll, Jindal, Santorum and Graham all received exactly zero support, bested by both Gilmore and "none of the above". Graham is a senator, so he has plenty of time on his hands. Santorum is an ex-senator, so he's got nowhere else to go. Jindal, on the other hand, is a sitting governor. Like Wisconsin's Walker, he has a day job that he might want to get back to at some point. The Republican National Committee recently said there will likely be no second-tier debate in October, so if Jindal doesn't strike gold and qualify for the prime-time event, the pressure is going to mount for him to return to Louisiana. Odds: 3-1