which according to charles krauthammer could be a curse for 2016 candidates. we'll have much more on all of this in the hour ahead. but we begin tonight with a look at where things stand for the first two out of the gate senators rand paul and ted cruz. >> imagine in 2017 a new president signing legislation repealing every word of obamacare. imagine a president who says i will honor the constitution and under no circumstances will iran be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. [ cheers and applause ] imagine a president who says we will stand up and defeat radical islamic terrorism. [ cheers and applause ] i believe in you. i believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of america. and that is why today i am announcing that i'm running for president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] >> i have a message. a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. we have come to take our country back. the washington machine that gobbles up our freedoms and invades every nook and cranny of our lives must be stopped. [ cheers and applause ] i have a vision for america. i want to be part of a return to prosperity. a true economic boom that lifts all americans. a return to a government restrained by the constitution. [ cheers and applause ] too often when republicans have won we've squandered our victory by becoming part of the washington machine. that's not who i am. today, i announce with god's help, with the help of liberty lovers everywhere that i am putting myself forward as a candidate for president of the united states of america. [ cheers and applause ] >> chris stirewalt is our fox news digital politics editor and kirsten powers is a fox news political analyst and usa today columnist. welcome to you both. chris, where do we stand now with cruz and paul officially in this race? >> well, liberty lovers that's kind of a nice phrase right there. >> i'm a liberty lover. >> i'm a liberty lover. >> everybody loves liberty. lovely. so it turns out that ted cruz was smart to have gone early. he broke into an open field. he did it by surprise. if you recall it was, well it's a sunday, ted cruz -- well what's coming up and blamo ted cruz had his event at an event scheduled to take place at liberty university. he got in there, did it had a big crowd and caught the national press largely by surprise. rand paul telegraphed his moves weeks and weeks and weeks in advance. everybody knew he was coming so they were ready for him. >> was that a disadvantage then? how is that a disadvantage? >> substantial disadvantage because all of the 38,000 negative stories about rand paul that were going to be cued up, is he like his dad, is he mean does he not like lady reporters this, that and the other thing, all of those stories were cued up so that by the time he hit the door they were pouring down on his head and the press could follow him around for a couple days. ted cruz got to come out, say hi and run off to iowa. >> what do you think, kirsten? at this point has cruz -- obviously he seems to have had a smoother rollout than rand paul. >> definitely. i think as much as chris is right the media was sort of able to circle the wagons and be ready for him. some of these problems were created by rand paul. if he hadn't reacted the way he reacted to an interview with savannah guthrie where she was asking him some pretty basic questions, i think. she's not known as somebody who's particularly overly partisan or nasty. so i think that he stepped on his own story. in his own rollout he made the story not about what he's going to be as president but rather what's your problem with reporters, whether it's female or not i think is a little overblown. but why can't you answer these questions? why are you so testy? do you have a temperament problem? he invited that on himself. >> and he made that intentionally based on what he told me people like it when you press back on the reporters. so it may have been a strategy. you go online and of course rand paul has very vocal supporters online. >> yeah. >> who think they're going to beat you into submission in asking their candidate tough questions. which i have news for you, you are not. but, you know, he sort of made a statement thus far chris, which is this is what i stand for. i'm going to push back on media is unfair and there's a large segment of the population that will say bravo. >> well did you have any trouble when he pushed back with you? no, you were fine. i watched it. didn't seem like you were quaking. i think that for rand paul, yes there will be 27 narratives that will come up about this is bad or that's bad. in the end look, he's got to rely on his organization. he's got to rely on boots on the ground. a lot of people will march for him. i will promise you this, the thing that puts rand paul at the table, the reason he is going to be in this for the long haul the reason you'll see him when you welcome him to the debate stage is simply this. he's got the resources he's got the ground game and the ardent core of support that's going to keep him in this thing. >> does cruz have with $31 million in two week sns. >> he's got the jack. and he can live off the land because he can continue to raise small donations and go out there. both these guys are going to be dueling each other down to the end. >> what do you think is emerging here as between those two, kirsten? it seems like many on the left prefer rand paul to ted cruz just based on their foreign policy stances, although rand paul is sounding more and more hawkish these days. but just based on what something i read in "the washington post" it's called the right turn. they say paul and cruz seem like the coworkers from hell. they won't get along with others, lay blame at other people's feet, they grandstand but produce nothing of value, they are purveyors of doom. >> but other than that. >> once they get out of the republican base. >> well i find to me just from my perspective they're very different people. i understand that they're both, you know, sort of playing this insurgent role in the republican party. but they're very different. i see ted cruz as being much more of this tea party candidate who's very narrowly focused on that. and i see rand paul as being somebody who actually could have a broader appeal. ted cruz is not going to get one democratic vote right? and even with independents it's going to be difficult. rand paul is somebody who young people really like, i think there are democrats who like him. i personally like his foreign policy. i'm not saying i would necessarily vote for him, but i'm more in line with him whereas with ted cruz i don't feel i have anything to connect with him on. so they're very different. and as you know megyn, rand paul is the one that's pulling in these battleground states against hillary clinton better than anybody else. >> he is. i know. the latest matchups in colorado and iowa and virginia give him pretty good numbers although they're all -- cruz is pulling neck and neck with hillary clinton in colorado and iowa as well. in virginia she's got a ten-point lead according to the latest poll. let's talk for a minute about rubio because he's going to announce on monday. and what do you think he thought chris stirewalt when he saw hillary -- it's kind of rude. >> well -- >> oh you're doing monday? i'm doing sunday. >> exactly. she is definitely going to step on in a big way marco rubio's launch. and again, marco rubio had for many weeks in advance said something ahem, i don't know what is going to take place on this date certain in miami. now look, that's not good news for rubio in the sense that he will be denied some of the coverage. of course he'll be denied some of the negative coverage. but she will dampen his moment to some substantial degree. but i would say this, if anything le venns that for him and republicans if you could pick one republican candidate, if the republicans could pick one candidate who would be on stage as hillary clinton was leaving her berth and sailing out into the open waters, it would be marco rubio. he's young, he's hispanic, he's credible, he's new generation in excitement which she's not. >> well, we'll see whether she made the right decision. we're going to talk a little more about hillary later on in the hour. great to see you both. >> good to be here. >> you bet. >> this campaign has barely begun and there's already controversy about the candidates and the media. howie kurtz host of media buzz is here next on what to expect in the coming weeks. how is the press going to treat the hillary rollout? plus, who will be next to join this race? and why do some folks seem to be holding back? and then as we get word that hillary clinton is jumping in, some key democrats are speaking out already raising questions about the scandals dogging the former secretary of state. ed henry is on the campaign trail as our "the kelly file" special continues. >> don't you some day want to see a woman president of the united states of america? have a sunset mode. and an early morning mode. and a partly sunny mode. and an outside... to clear inside mode. transitions® signature® adaptive lenses ...are more responsive than ever. so why settle for a lens with just one mode? experience life well lit®. upgrade your lenses to transitions® signature®. get up to ninety dollars back when you combine crizal, varilux and transitions... and buy a second pair with xperio uv polarized sun lenses. visit transitions.com to learn more. i love life, but really i love my chico's life. i take good care of myself and i love what i see when i look in the mirror. i've often been told i'm the best pair of legs in the room. the so slimming collection only at chico's and chicos.com. you wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a spin and it's...well...just a car. test-drive our full lineup only at your local john deere dealer. back now to our "the kelly file" special the 2016 race to the white house. the campaign's barely begun and already the media is an issue. will hillary clinton face the tough issues or the kind of fawning coverage given then-candidate obama in 2008. will the press play fair with republicans, or should we expect a repeat of the treatment given governor palin. what about the clashes we've already seen. >> you once said iran was not a threat. now you say it is. you once proposed ending foreign aid to israel, you now support it at least for the time being. and you once offered to drastically cut -- wait, wait, once drastically wanted to cut defense spending and now you want to increase it 16%. i just wonder if you've mellowed out. >> why don't we let me explain instead of talking over me. >> sure. >> before we go through a litany of things you say i've changed on why don't you ask me a question, have i changed my opinion? >> have you changed your opinion? >> that would be a better way to approach -- >> no no is iran still a threat. >> no, no you editorialized you say have your views changed instead of e editorializing -- >> in your short time in the senate you've developed a reputation as a guy who does not back down. will you bring that brand of no-compromise to the white house if you're elected? >> let me disagree with the premise. i've never said i won't compromise. >> your job as the politician is to give the answer you want to give and try to use your time on the national air waves to make your points right? people are accusing you now of being too thin-skinned. >> well, i think we could all get better. i mean, i'm not perfect. but the thing is that contentious interviews are not one-sided in a sense that, oh it's all my fault that this is a contentious interview. if people start out and basically start out with mischaracterizing your position and defend why you've changed your opinion when in reality the question should be did i change my opinion because on all three answers no i didn't change my position. >> how are you with that hard line conservative message going to appeal to moderates and independents? >> you know john, it's a funny thing when you work in the media that somehow you think it is a hard line. >> you don't think -- >> to present a positive, optimistic vision. >> howie kurtz, host of fox news media buzz. isn't it interesting to see it cut like that and see how each man handled reporters over the past couple of week sns. >> yeah the contrast between these two freshmen senators is something, megyn. let's start with ted cruz. he talks about how the media portray him as crazy, as if he has dynamite strapped to his chest. that's pretty funny. i mean he doesn't whine about his coverage. when the press went wild over this unfair and inaccurate story about he scared a 3-year-old girl by giving that speech in new hampshire about the world being on fire, he went on msnbc a day or two later saying he was being depicted as freddy krueger not appearing defensive. that's what you have to do in those situations. >> and yet rand paul, i understand he took a lot of hits. and you saw i pressed him too. but in his defense it must be very irritating, even for viewers at home to see somebody who they like who they think has a chance get questioned like that when there is not a chance that, you know, some in the mainstream media would have pressed barack obama like that you know, years ago. they see a double standard. >> and i've been flooded with facebook messages from conservatives saying, yeah, go rand, and savannah guthrie was rude. first of all, while she may have talked over him and asked an overly long question, the basic question, why have you changed your position on x is such a fundamental campaign question that we all have it in our keyboards. but secondly, whether he scored points or not and whether he's justified or not, it doesn't matter. savannah guthrie's not running for anything. ted cruz -- excuse me, rand paul running for the president of the united states. and he made the entire week about what you asked him about, others asked him about, is he too testy, does he have a temperament problem. he had that shushing of kelly evans. by not diffusing it with humor or how you pivot to your substantive answer, you take a quick swipe -- >> can i say a word on the shushing? nobody should be shushing the interviewer and he copped to that. he seems genuinely contrite that he did that. but i just don't understand the people who jump to the fact that it was a woman. so what? what is the evidence that rand paul shushed kelly evans because she's a woman? maybe he perceived weakness. maybe he was irritated because she was doing this to him in the interview. and if you watch the whole thing she didn't give him a lot of opportunity to respond. and he lost his patience because he was irritated by the interviewer irregardless, irrespective of gender. >> there's zero evidence, but his defense i'm equally prickly with men and women not the best bumper sticker for a campaign. here's the thing, i think when voters watch these interviews they see how you deal with the media, even a hostile media, as a kind of proxy for the pressure you would face in the white house. so it's not just how you answer -- >> okay, i get that. but back to the double standard. are they going to do that to hillary clinton? i mean, really, do we expect hillary clinton to get a tough grilling interview on the "today" show? >> well if she doesn't, assuming that she provides some access to campaign which she'll probably walk through the democratic nomination, he's going to make our profession very, very bad. if there's a replay of the easy ride barack obama got in 2008, if hillary is treated as a celebrity candidate, not fully vetted the way we delight in doing with all these republican newcomers the media bias is going to be exposed. part of that is on hillary's side because there's a 25-year relationship of bruised feelings going back to when she was first lady. but the press has a responsibility here certainly to treat her fairly. >> but she -- there's a question about how they're going to handle her. she's no barack obama. i mean, he really charmed the press. and, you know, when they thought she was inevitable he came up and said oh no she's not. so i don't know, the same love affair with the mainstream media and hillary that there was with the mainstream media and barack obama. >> or even with bill clinton. and the answer is no. you saw that with the defensive press conference over the private e-mails at the state department. and even all the guessing games about what day what hour she would announce and how she was doing it, kind of a diss to the press doesn't know where to go, when to show up. so a dysfunctional relationship, you know plays itself out on both sides. but the press has a real responsibility here 27 republican candidates and basically hillary clinton to hold hillary clinton's feet to the fire, to do the same kind of investigative digging. if they don't, we will hear about it. >> i'll give you this thought to chew on as we say good-bye. the "new york times" on barack obama's announcement in 2007 on its front page, he's launching a journey rich with historic possibilities and symbolism speaking smoothly and comfortably mr. obama offered a generational call to arms. his candidacy is -- his campaign's less of a candidacy and more of a movement. "new york times" and ted cruz, he is seen by republicans and democrats as a divisive figure. and his tenure in washington marked by demagogue ri. just give you that to chew on. think about that. >> we shouldn't cover movements. we should cover human beings who want to attain high office. >> great to see you howie. >> same here megyn. by monday night we could have a field of four declared candidates for president. but what about the more than two dozen others who are being mentioned and who may very well run. that part of the story is just ahead. plus, what happens if we end up with a clinton-bush matchup? charles krauthammer on that. and what he thinks may surprise us. "ride away" (by roy orbison begins to play) ♪ i ride the highway... ♪ ♪ i'm going my way... ♪ ♪i leave a story untold... ♪ he just keeps sending more pictures... if you're a free-range chicken you roam free. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ two wheels a turnin'... ♪ when the moment's spontaneous, why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision or any symptoms of an allergic reaction stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. one of the biggest 2016 concerns depending on who you ask is whether name recognition may actually hurt two of the leading candidates. while the original clinton-bush campaign of 1992 was quite some time ago, a number of political analysts are now suggesting that the shadow of the past could cloud the campaigns of both hillary clinton and jeb bush. here is charles krauthammer on "the kelly file" thursday night. >> i think unfortunately for jeb it will be a major factor. and it is not in any way his fault. you know he could have been jeb smith. now, he has advantages of being a bush. he has th