Steve Forbes: Right Candidate and Message Can Defeat Hillary

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seen as the clear front-runner for president in 2016, but business mogul Steve Forbes says that she can be defeated if the GOP nominates the right candidate — with the right message.

"If we have a good Reaganesque, optimistic message we will win it," Forbes told J.D. Hayworth, Miranda Kahn, and John Bachman on "America's Forum" on Newsmax TV Monday.

"We've got a good bench," the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media added. "The governors have done real things, dealt with real crises like Scott Walker in Wisconsin. We've got strong senators — Rand Paul certainly is going to be out there; the junior senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, I don't know whether he'll run, but he's certainly looking at the thing."

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"There's going to be a strong array of candidates looking at the presidency and several of them will run. We've got a good chance to take it," Forbes said. "I'm optimistic we can win in 2016."

Forbes said it is important that whoever runs doesn't just "criticize the administration," but also has "a positive agenda."

"We have to show the country how we can do better," he explained. "That means a radical simplification of the tax code, like a flat tax. That means a healthcare system where the patient is first. That means a dollar that is as good as gold, and positive things like that will win the day."

Even though Forbes ran for president twice he says he has no plans to run again, and that he is happy to remain an "agitator."

Forbes also predicts that the Republicans will win "a majority in the Senate" in the midterm elections in November.

"The 13 states where the GOP has a chance to do it — everywhere from New Hampshire, West Virginia, we've got an excellent chance; North Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana; Iowa — we've got a strong candidate there," the business mogul said. "We have a chance in Michigan, Minnesota, certainly South Dakota, Montana; Colorado's competitive, and amazingly, Oregon is competitive. We've got a good chance of winning Alaska."

"So this should be a good year for the GOP," Forbes said.