Republican Frontrunners for 2012
The GOP's Short List for the Next President of the United States
While it may be premature, there has already been a good deal of speculation about who the Republican Party will nominate for President of the United States in 2012. As of now, the short list includes one obvious name and is filled with governors.
Sarah Palin (R-AK)
Currently, Palin is getting the most media attention of any Republican and is considered a major player for the 2012 nomination. She the current Governor of Alaska and is the former mayor of the small Alaskan town of Wasilla. After her rise from relative obscurity to being nominated as the vice president for John McCain's (R-AZ) 2008 bid for the White House, Palin has become a prominent figure in the Republican party and a polarizing figure for many Americans.
According to a Nov. 13, 2008 Gallup poll, 76% of Republicans say they would like to see Palin be a prominent national political figure for years to come, but just 45% of all Americans say the same.
When asked about a possible 2012 run on CNN's "The Situation Room," Palin said she was "not ruling that out but there again, that is based on my philosophy that it's crazy to close a door before you know what's even open in front of you."
Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)
Tim Pawlenty is currently serving his second term as Governor of Minnesota. He is well known for balancing the state's budget three times without raising taxes, despite facing sizeable deficits. He has also been successful in getting new benefits for veterans and military members, reforming state education standards and teacher pay scales, and implementing plans to shift a large portion the state's energy dependency to renewable resources.
Pawlenty has served as the Chair of the National Governors Association and serves on the NGA executive committee.
While Pawlenty has repeatedly deflected questions regarding a future presidential campaign and has not even announced if he will run for another term as Governor, his name has been mentioned for the 2012 bid nearly as much as Palin's. Most recently, on MSNBC's "Hardball" with Chris Matthews, Matthews ended an interview with Pawlenty by calling him "one of the rising stars of the party. They're in retreat, but [Pawlenty is] not. It is the battle between Palin and Pawlenty. And it's a four-year run, sir."
Bobby Jindal (R-LA)
Bobby Jindal was elected Governor of Louisiana in 2007. Prior to being Governor, he served in the United States House of Representatives for the First District of Louisiana. He is the first Indian American Governor in United States history.
A major platform of Jindal's administration has been ethics reform. He has also made it a priority to reform the state's health care, education, and transportation systems, as well as continuing recovery efforts in those areas devistated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Like Palin and Pawlenty, Jindal is a young, rising star in the Republican Party. He has also denied any plans of a 2012 Presidential run, but many political analysts believe his actions say otherwise. Jindal has recently planned a visit to Iowa - a key election state - and Louisiana political analyst Clancy DuBos said the move "smacks of a guy who is laying the groundwork to run for president. If you're just the governor of Louisiana, you don't go to Iowa because you want the corn."
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