Good summary of the names being tossed around.
Twelve for '12: A Dozen Republicans Who Could Be the Next PresidentWith the GOP's presidential-primary fight fast approaching, TIME looks at the prospective contenders to take on Barack Obama
Mitt Romney
By FEIFEI SUN Monday, Feb. 14, 2011
MATTHEW CAVANAUCH / EPA
Age: 63
Last held public office: Governor of Massachusetts, 2003-07
Of all the prospective Republican presidential candidates, Mitt Romney is the only one who could play himself in a movie. With a chiseled chin and a flawless coiffure, the son of a governor just looks the part. His wife, five sons and 14 grandchildren are equally photogenic. Stints at private-equity firm Bain Capital and atop the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee have endeared Romney to business-friendly conservatives who favor his entrepreneurial approach, and as the former governor of a blue state, Romney has a desirable attribute: the ability to beat Democrats in competitive elections.
The knock on Romney is that he's transparently expedient. In the run-up to 2008, he tacked hard right on a number of issues, but not all Republicans were buying it. Explaining his record has only become more difficult. In 2006, then Governor Romney had the political misfortune of enacting bipartisan health care legislation in Massachusetts that included a requirement for most Bay Staters to purchase health insurance. Why misfortune? The plan he put in place became the model for President Obama's national health care overhaul. Challenging that law — be it on the Hill, in the courts or otherwise — has become a rallying cause of the conservative movement in the year since its passage and has forced Romney, who argues that health reform should be enacted only on the state level, into an awkward position with his base. He also struggles with some social conservatives because of his Mormon faith and unsteady footing on abortion.
(See TIME's video "Romney the Businessman.")
At the moment, Romney is unquestionably the front runner in a poorly defined field. He enjoys better name recognition nationwide than all the other prospective candidates, with the exception of Sarah Palin. His political network and fundraising operation are unmatched. And he's spent the two years since his last stab at the presidency peppering the landscape with careful endorsements, op-eds knocking Obama and book-publicity stops.
Representative quote: "Conservatism has had from its inception vigorously positive, intellectually rigorous agenda and thinking. That agenda should have in it my three pillars: strengthen the economy, strengthen our security, and strengthen our families."
Sarah Palin
By FEIFEI SUN Monday, Feb. 14, 2011
JOSEPH CONNOLY / GETTY IMAGES
Age: 46
Last held public office: Governor of Alaska, 2006-09
No one commands the adoration or loyalty of John Q. Republican quite like Sarah Palin. Master of folksy quips and pitch-perfect populism, the former vice-presidential candidate has fabulous base appeal. Her personal story of carrying to term a Down syndrome child gives her credibility with antiabortion activists. After a gig with Fox News, two books, a TLC reality show and two years of swarming attention from the national press corps, the Palin brand is as potent as it is ubiquitous.
One of the characteristics that makes Palin so popular with the Republican base is her unshakable one-against-the-world mentality. In Palin's eyes, the "lamestream media," jealous rivals and the good-ol'-boy network are all working to undo her. It's a compelling narrative at a Tea Party rally, but it hasn't much helped her standing elsewhere. Her public spats over the last presidential campaign and controversial endorsements of candidates like Christine O'Donnell in the 2010 midterms haven't endeared Palin to the Republican establishment. Many voters saw a deficit of seriousness in her early departure from Alaska's governorship, and camping trips with Kate Gosselin aren't exactly the best medicine. A January poll found that just 17% of independents nationwide have a favorable view of Palin.
(See pictures of Sarah Palin's life since the 2008 election.)
Everybody knows Sarah Palin. That's her greatest asset and biggest flaw. Should she run for the GOP nomination, her name recognition and ability to steal headlines would make her a force. But for all Palin's celebrity, there's no indication the party faithful really want her to be President. Most early polls show her trailing Romney and Mike Huckabee in hypothetical primary matchups, and far behind Obama in the general election. Despite all her media coverage, Palin hasn't built networks of donors and allies on par with the most competitive members of the field.
Representative quote: "We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington ... We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America."
Tim Pawlenty
By FEIFEI SUN Monday, Feb. 14, 2011
CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES
Age: 51
Last held public office: Governor of Minnesota, 2003-11
A finalist to be John McCain's running mate in 2008, Tim Pawlenty can claim a feat few others have pulled off: he governed a blue state with a Democratic legislature for two terms and came away with a conservative record. He closed budget gaps without raising taxes, put conservative judges on the bench and nabbed an A rating from the libertarian Cato Institute in 2010.
Pawlenty's problem is that few voters outside of Minnesota know about him, and even fewer Republican activists find themselves bedazzled by his mild-mannered Midwestern charms. Despite numerous visits to Iowa and New Hampshire and a heavily promoted publicity jaunt for his book Courage to Stand, Pawlenty lacks the visibility of some of his opponents, including Palin and Romney. Fewer than 40% of Americans recognized his name in a January Gallup poll, and only 13% held a favorable view of the Republican.
(See a 2010 TIME story on Tim Pawlenty.)
Pawlenty has veteran aides to advise him, but he lacks the pull to create fundraising fireworks. He has a long way to go to catch up to the front of the pack.
Representative quote: "The individual mandate in Obamacare is a page right out of the Jimmy Carter playbook. The left simply doesn't understand. The individual mandate reflects completely backwards thinking. They, the bureaucrats, don't tell us what to do. We, the people, tell the government what to do!"
Mitch Daniels
By FEIFEI SUN Monday, Feb. 14, 2011
SCOTT J. FERRELL / CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY / GETTY IMAGES
Age: 61
Last held public office: Governor of Indiana, 2005-present
Known as a wonky deficit hawk, the former budget director for President George W. Bush capped state property taxes, dramatically reduced spending and transformed a $200 million budget deficit into a $1.3 billion surplus as governor of Indiana, all while maintaining high approval ratings. He is an ardent proponent of raising the Social Security retirement age and cutting other entitlement programs. And that kind of fiscal focus is exactly what many Republicans feel is necessary to dig the federal government out of debt.
Daniels' signature issue landed him in hot water last June, when he told the Weekly Standard that the next President would have to "call a truce" on social issues like abortion and gay marriage in favor of getting the nation's deficits under control. Prominent social conservatives were upset, and although Daniels clarified his position by saying, "I picked the word truce because no one has to change their point of view," he would still struggle with that constituency should he run.
(See Mitch Daniels' 2011 Beltway debut.)
Daniels insists that he would be a force to be reckoned with if he entered the nomination fight. While he has a loyal fan base in certain circles and is cozy with the party establishment, he hasn't made any real moves toward a run. One possible factor: his wife is said to be wary of campaign life.
Representative quote: "Doing the people's business while living within the people's means is our fundamental duty in public service."
Haley Barbour
By FEIFEI SUN Monday, Feb. 14, 2011
BROOKS KRAFT / CORBIS
Age: 63
Last held public office: Governor of Mississippi, 2004-present
Haley Barbour is a consummate insider. A founding member of the powerhouse lobbying firm BGR Group, the Mississippi governor has had stints atop both the Republican National Committee and the Republican Governors Association. He remains popular in Mississippi, where he was credited with reducing the state's deficit by half and praised for his calm, effective leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Barbour isn't shy about his Southern flair or lobbyist past. The latter has its pitfalls in a political environment where special interest is a popular barb, and the former has complicated his life as well. In December, Barbour told the Weekly Standard that he didn't remember the civil rights era "being that bad" and spoke sympathetically about a local chapter of the White Citizens' Council, a pro-segregation organization.
(See "Haley Barbour: GOP Kingmaker or Candidate?")
Barbour already has the fundraising and organizational talent to launch a presidential bid; if he were to run, he'd likely be the sharpest strategic mind in the field. But it's not clear if the average voter would relate to him.
Representative quote: "The Obama Administration and the Democratic Congress have taken the biggest lurch to the left in policy in American history. There have been no Congress, no Administration that has run this far to the left in such a small period of time. And there is a reaction to that."
Mike Huckabee
By FEIFEI SUN Monday, Feb. 14, 2011
AP PHOTO / JEFF GENTNER
Age: 55
Last held public office: Governor of Arkansas, 1996-2007
Mike Huckabee cracks jokes, plays the bass and is friends with Chuck Norris. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't find him affable. In 2008, the former governor turned his charms into a major upset in the Iowa caucus, beating better-funded contenders like Romney. A Baptist minister, Huckabee remains hugely popular among Evangelical Christians. Since failing to capture the presidential nomination in 2008, he has written books, hosted his own talk show and kept up appearances in political circles.
Though Huckabee has the best socially conservative credentials of any prospective candidate, his record has hurt his standing with some Republicans. As governor, Huckabee created ARKids First, a program that offered health insurance to poor children, and increased gas taxes to overhaul the state's highway system, moves that do not sit well with the Tea Party set. He also commuted and pardoned more than 1,000 prisoners, including Maurice Clemmons, a felon who was later arrested for multiple charges of child molestation and aggravated assault. In 2009, Clemmons made national headlines when he murdered four police officers in a Washington State coffee shop.
(See TIME's video "Mike Huckabee's Three-Day Tour of Israel.")
Though early polling offers little insight into how the presidential field will develop, Huckabee is consistently near the front of the pack, and no one performs better in hypothetical matchups against President Obama. However, Huckabee is not vastly wealthy and would have to give up the TV and book deals he enjoys. He has yet to give any indication that his heart is in it for another run.
Representative quote: "Pray a little more, work a little harder, save, wait, be patient and, most of all, live within our means. That's the American way. It's not spending ourselves into prosperity or taxing ourselves into prosperity."
