RANKED: The 16 Republicans who think they can be president

AP/Steven Senne

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) campaigns in New Hampshire.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) became the latest notable GOP candidate to throw his hat into the presidential contest on Thursday.

He is far from alone.

The GOP's 2016 field for the White House appears likely to be one of the most robust in modern history. There could be as many as 15 current and former senators, governors, and major business leaders in the race by this summer.

However, there's not enough room for all of them.

This is especially true on the early debate stages that could provide a crucial opportunity for long-shots to shine. The two first debates, held in August and September, opted to impose strict guidelines to participate: The candidates must average in the top 10 in the national polls of the Republican race. (The two debates have varying procedures and calculate the poll average slightly differently.)

These guidelines leave some candidates much better positioned than others to catch fire on national television, though there's still time for even the stragglers to potentially surge into the to top 10 and make the debates.

On Friday afternoon, Business Insider collected the latest polling averages from Real Clear Politics to rank where the candidates would roughly stand if the debates were held today. We also gave our take as to some of their political liabilities and assets as they seek the Republican nomination.