Thread: Why Republicans May Be Skipping 2012 Presidential Run

April 26, 2011, 7:00 am

Why Republicans May Be Skipping 2012 Presidential Run

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

Haley Barbour’s decision to forgo a run for the presidency in 2012 puts him in the company of a half-dozen top Republicans who have considered — and rejected — a challenge to President Obama next year.

The question is: why?

In a statement that surprised much of official Washington, Mr. Barbour indicated that he does not have “absolute fire in the bellyâ€

[quote] 2. The economy. Mr. Obama’s approval ratings have dipped below 50 percent, but he remains personally popular and by many calculations the economy appears to be improving — if slowly. Even Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and one of the handful of very likely candidates, said last September that Mr. Obama would be “difficult to beatâ€

RELATED

Huckabee Out Of Race

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-236383.html

Rasmussen: Huckabee Dropping Out Will Help Dark Horse Emerge

Thursday, 28 Apr 2011 05:19 PM
By Jim Meyers

Mike Huckabee’s camp has sought to refute a new report that the former Arkansas governor won’t seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. This latest report comes on top of assertions by political experts that Huckabee won’t run.

A Huckabee withdrawal could bring a dark horse to the front, says pollster Scott Rasmussen, and leaves the Christian evangelical vote looking for a candidate.

The Process Story blog reported that Huckabee “is giving his former S.C. supporters the nod to seek work on other presidential campaigns. The word is that he’s told South Carolina staffers that they have his blessing for them to peddle their wares elsewhere.

“If this is true as it appears, it’s the second major shakeup. On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour surprised everyone but himself when he announced that he would not seek the GOP nod.â€

Republican Rep. Mike Pence enters 2012 Indiana governor's race


By Susan Guyett

INDIANAPOLIS | Thu May 5, 2011 12:01pm EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Representative Mike Pence announced on Thursday he's in the running for the Republican nomination for Indiana governor in 2012.

The six-term congressman made it official this morning in a long-expected announcement to supporters via conference call, e-mail, Facebook and video.

The conservative Republican also filed papers with the Indiana Secretary of State forming the "Mike Pence for Indiana" committee.

Pence said a formal campaign kickoff will follow but said he wanted supporters to know "I'm in this race." Making reference to the Indianapolis 500, he told supporters "any real Hoosier knows that every big race begins in May anyway."

Pence, 51, was first elected to Congress in 2000 and has become a popular voice of the national conservative movement. When he resigned from a House Republican leadership position last November, speculation grew about his political plans.

He ended rumors he'd be seeking the Republican presidential nomination but left the governor's race open, fueling speculation he had his eye on succeeding Governor Mitch Daniels.

"Our state is on the edge of an era of growth and opportunity like no other in our lifetime," he told supporters.

Under Daniels' leadership, "Indiana has set the pace in fiscal responsibility, job creation and reform," Pence said. "But our work is not over."

Indiana law bars a governor from serving more than two consecutive terms and Daniels' second four-year-term is coming to a close. Daniels is considering whether to run for the Republican presidential nomination.

Pence spearheaded the effort to strip funding for Planned Parenthood from the budget during congressional debates. Indiana's legislature passed a bill that will bar federal funds to Planned Parenthood of Indiana.

Former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg is expected to announce his plans to seek the Democratic nomination for governor.

Former Attorney General Steve Carter also is considering getting into the Republican race and Hamilton County businessman Jim Wallace has already said he will seek the GOP nod.

www.reuters.com