In less than a month the country will begin the formal process of picking a president. The nation’s first state contest, the Iowa caucuses begin February 1. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton holds a substantial lead in the polls there. But opponent Bernie Sanders continues to draw large crowds and raise lots of money.

There’s much excitement on the Republican side. Who will drop out? Who will remain? Who will get their vote out? Who will emerge, perhaps not winning, but with lots of votes making a strong showing in states that are not winner-take-all? Who has staying power?

Developments in the presidential contests made 2015 a crazy year. But some things in politics don’t change. Morton Blackwell, has taught the principles of political campaigns to thousands of conservatives spanning a couple of generations through his Leadership Institute.  He articulates some rules that stand the test of time. Here are the questions this wise teacher of the laws of the public policy process says we should ask about candidates when choosing one to get behind:

First — Does the candidate have a record of personal activism and leadership for conservative principles. (If you’re not looking to support a conservative, you could apply this question to whatever principles the candidate espouses.) Morton Blackwell says: “Talk is cheap. Actions have consequence . . .. Past performance does not necessarily predict future results, but it usually is the best indicator.”

Second question — Does the candidate surround himself or herself with people notably committed to the candidate’s principles. The famous adage, “personnel is policy” applies here. As Morton Blackwell points out, “If elected, a candidate without an inner circle of reliable conservatives to help him or her staff an administration has no chance of winning victories in tough battles against liberals.” And think about the enduring impact of a president’s Supreme Court appointments.

Here’s another good question — Has the candidate ever continued to fight hard for his or her principles when it appeared to be a losing battle? Morton Blackwell says; “Never fully trust anyone who has not knowingly gone down fighting for an important good cause that he or she believed was losing.”

And a related question — “Does the candidate frequently reverse his or her positions on important issues?” This candidate can’t be trusted to keep promises.

To test a candidate’s commitment to causes he or she campaigns on, Morton Blackwell says to go back and see how much support that candidate has given over the years to organizations and other candidates working to advance those causes. Every elected official needs lots of support in and out of politics to get things done.

And here’s a key question to ask — “If elected, would the candidate melt when the heat is on?”

The Left has increased and solidified power in so much that affects American life and government. It’s going to take a president with great strength of character to loosen that grip