By Jonathan Allen
If anyone knows how to win the Republican Partys presidential nomination its
Haley Barbour.Whether the 61-year-old Mississippi governor can successfully apply that know-how in 2012 and whether he wants to are questions that will begin to be answered this week as he launches what many political observers see as an exploratory venture into presidential primary proving grounds.
Barbour helped Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee
Bob McDonnell raise money on Monday. On Tuesday he appeared in the Capitol for a health care press conference with House Republican leaders John Boehner of Ohio and Mike Pence of Indiana.
But it is the Wednesday and Thursday legs of his trip to state fundraising dinners in New Hampshire and Iowa that have attracted the attention of party players.
When will he decide whether to run? Probably never" he said Tuesday adding that he told New Hampshire GOP Chairman John H. Sununu Im your man" when Sununu said he was seeking a dinner speaker who wasnt running for president.
Asked later to clarify whether he meant that he wouldnt run in 2012 Barbour shot back I dont think I said that."
It was not the first time that Barbour has left open the door to a run.
Hes a potential candidate. It is as wide open as its been in many many years for the 2012 nomination" said Craig Shirley a Republican consultant who has worked in party politics and advised GOP presidential contenders. There is no front-runner."
That opens an opportunity for a dark horse to make a run said Shirley who ticked off a list of Barbours attributes: His record as governor his conservatism his ability to articulate a Reaganesque vision. . . . He got high marks for Katrina. Hes not tarred with the Bush brush at all."
Of course Barbour has a lot of hurdles not the least of which is a resume lobbyist politician party official that invites campaign attacks.
Perhaps more important many Republicans worry about nominating a conservative Southern governor at a time when the partys appeal is limited with moderates and outside the South.
For now Barbour and his allies insist those questions are premature.
Any Republican whos not focused on the 2009 and 2010 doesnt have his eye on the ball" Barbour said in May. Im going to keep my eye on the ball."
Thats where the fundraising efforts in Virginia New Hampshire and Iowa come in.
Hes thinking about the party and how we rebuild" said a source close to Barbour. If the party takes care of those things then you move on to the next things.
Brad Blakeman a senior White House aide during George W. Bush s first term said Barbours interest in helping Republican candidates is genuine even if it also may pay dividends down the road.
Can he be seen as a potential candidate? The answer is yes. But that is a natural product of what he is doing for the party" Blakeman said. This is a guy who is a rare breed. He puts party above self"
Republicans are remarkably quick to offer praise for Barbour who was chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1994 the year the GOP won both chambers of Congress for the first time in 40 years.
Haley takes a very inclusive approach" said Maine Sen. Susan M. Collins one of a only a handful of northeastern Republicans left in Congress. I think hed be a strong candidate."
The Inside Track
The ultimate insider" is no political slogan but Barbours long years toiling in party politics at the state and national levels in Washingtons power corridors and within the Republican Governors Association give him an inside track to winning support among party leaders.
No other Republican elected official can match Barbours party-building pedigree and few have a network as broad or deep among state-level party officials. In the case of other governors that might mean the assistance of statewide political machinery in a primary.
Thats not enough on its own to win a nomination much less the presidency but it doesnt hurt.
It helps but it doesnt help nearly as much as it used to because they wield so little power" Shirley said. The power has shifted from the state parties and the delegates and the state conventions and it has shifted to the media and the consultants and they are the new political bosses."
Barbours political mettle first was forged in the fiery 1976 Kansas City convention showdown between the insurgent Ronald Reagan and incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford when he was executive director of the state party.
Despite Haleys best efforts Dick Cheney and Ford and other people in the Ford campaign were able to flip at the convention those 30 delegates" said Shirley who wrote a book about the primary.
Now Barbour is keeping his own counsel when it comes to presidential politics.
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander a two-time presidential candidate said Barbour would be a tough candidate if he chooses to be" in 2012. He has a long future ahead of him."
Read more HERE
*This story is from www.CQPolitics.com
By Jonathan Allen
If anyone knows how to win the Republican Partys presidential nomination its Haley Barbour.Whether the 61-year-old Mississippi governor can successfully apply that know-how in 2012 and whether he wants to are questions that will begin to be answered this week as he launches what many political observers see as an exploratory venture into presidential primary proving grounds.
Barbour helped Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell raise money on Monday. On Tuesday he appeared in the Capitol for a health care press conference with House Republican leaders John Boehner of Ohio and Mike Pence of Indiana.
But it is the Wednesday and Thursday legs of his trip to state fundraising dinners in New Hampshire and Iowa that have attracted the attention of party players.
When will he decide whether to run? Probably never" he said Tuesday adding that he told New Hampshire GOP Chairman John H. Sununu Im your man" when Sununu said he was seeking a dinner speaker who wasnt running for president.
Asked later to clarify whether he meant that he wouldnt run in 2012 Barbour shot back I dont think I said that."
It was not the first time that Barbour has left open the door to a run.
Hes a potential candidate. It is as wide open as its been in many many years for the 2012 nomination" said Craig Shirley a Republican consultant who has worked in party politics and advised GOP presidential contenders. There is no front-runner."
That opens an opportunity for a dark horse to make a run said Shirley who ticked off a list of Barbours attributes: His record as governor his conservatism his ability to articulate a Reaganesque vision. . . . He got high marks for Katrina. Hes not tarred with the Bush brush at all."
Of course Barbour has a lot of hurdles not the least of which is a resume lobbyist politician party official that invites campaign attacks.
Perhaps more important many Republicans worry about nominating a conservative Southern governor at a time when the partys appeal is limited with moderates and outside the South.
For now Barbour and his allies insist those questions are premature.
Any Republican whos not focused on the 2009 and 2010 doesnt have his eye on the ball" Barbour said in May. Im going to keep my eye on the ball."
Thats where the fundraising efforts in Virginia New Hampshire and Iowa come in.
Hes thinking about the party and how we rebuild" said a source close to Barbour. If the party takes care of those things then you move on to the next things.
Brad Blakeman a senior White House aide during George W. Bush s first term said Barbours interest in helping Republican candidates is genuine even if it also may pay dividends down the road.
Can he be seen as a potential candidate? The answer is yes. But that is a natural product of what he is doing for the party" Blakeman said. This is a guy who is a rare breed. He puts party above self"
Republicans are remarkably quick to offer praise for Barbour who was chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1994 the year the GOP won both chambers of Congress for the first time in 40 years.
Haley takes a very inclusive approach" said Maine Sen. Susan M. Collins one of a only a handful of northeastern Republicans left in Congress. I think hed be a strong candidate."
The Inside Track
The ultimate insider" is no political slogan but Barbours long years toiling in party politics at the state and national levels in Washingtons power corridors and within the Republican Governors Association give him an inside track to winning support among party leaders.
No other Republican elected official can match Barbours party-building pedigree and few have a network as broad or deep among state-level party officials. In the case of other governors that might mean the assistance of statewide political machinery in a primary.
Thats not enough on its own to win a nomination much less the presidency but it doesnt hurt.
It helps but it doesnt help nearly as much as it used to because they wield so little power" Shirley said. The power has shifted from the state parties and the delegates and the state conventions and it has shifted to the media and the consultants and they are the new political bosses."
Barbours political mettle first was forged in the fiery 1976 Kansas City convention showdown between the insurgent Ronald Reagan and incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford when he was executive director of the state party.
Despite Haleys best efforts Dick Cheney and Ford and other people in the Ford campaign were able to flip at the convention those 30 delegates" said Shirley who wrote a book about the primary.
Now Barbour is keeping his own counsel when it comes to presidential politics.
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander a two-time presidential candidate said Barbour would be a tough candidate if he chooses to be" in 2012. He has a long future ahead of him."
Read more HERE
*This story is from www.CQPolitics.com
