After Hart withdrew from the race, no clear frontrunner emerged before the primaries and caucuses began.
So on the eve of the Iowa Caucus, the first contest, there was no clear and strong frontrunner.
There was initially no clear frontrunner since Gary Hart had withdrawn.
Mitt Romney is the clear frontrunner in the polls.
No clear frontrunner has been established for his services.
There is no clear frontrunner among Democrats.
And the officials admit that their reticence to commit reflects the fact that no clear frontrunner has emerged.
Coleman has emerged as the clear frontrunner to succeed Gary Speed, who died in November.
In January 1987, he was the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 1988 election.
But if you want to compare prices on a package, in a rather paltry field there is a clear frontrunner.