While Gov. Rick Perry of Texas continues to insist he has no interest in running for the Republican presidential nomination, insiders in the Lone Star State arent buying it.
A survey of insiders released by Texas Weekly/Texas Tribune Inside Intelligence on Monday found that 58 percent of their respondents think Perry plans to run for the White House in 2012. The bad news? Most of them dont think he should. Only 22 percent of those surveyed think Perry should jump in the race, while 70 percent think he should be content to stay in Austin Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is increasingly looking all-in for chasing the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Santorum spent Sunday and Monday in New Hampshire -- his seventh trip in 2010 to the state that holds the first presidential primary Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took aim at President Barack Obama Monday, posting on her Facebook page that the latest round of leaks from WikiLeaks could have been stopped, but the administration was incompetent. Palin called for freezing WikiLeaks accounts and for taking down the site
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Wednesday. Romney made an appearance on the show during his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 ... Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who competed with Romney for the presidential nomination in 2008, spoke at the Richard Nixon Library in California this past weekend. Huckabee took aim at Nancy Pelosi in a speech at the library and signed copies of his book Cant Wait Til Christmas The team behind former New York Gov. George Pataki continues to insist that the 2010 elections were a mandate to repeal new federal health-care laws backed by Obama. Revere America, a PAC affiliated with Pataki, offered some comments Monday on a number of polls that showed support for repealing or replacing the current laws
A busy Tuesday morning for former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who has expressed interest in running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Bolton appeared on Varney & Co on Fox Business News to discuss Irelands economic turmoil and then on Fox News to weigh in on the tensions between North and South Korea, Iran and WikiLeaks Businessman and tea-party favorite Herman Cain continues to leave the option of running for the Republican presidential nod on the table. In his weekly column released on Sunday, Cain, who ran for the U.S. Senate in Georgia back in 2004, called for extending tax cuts backed by President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003 and attacked Democrats who opposed the idea While most big-name Democrats are staying away from challenging Obama for the partys nomination, Alvin Greene, who made an unlikely, colorful and ultimately very unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina in 2010, said he is open to launching a presidential campaign
The Libertarians will be holding their presidential nominating convention in Las Vegas from May 4-6, 2012. This could provide a boost for Wayne Allyn Root, the sports handicapper who was Bob Barrs running mate on the 2008 Libertarian ticket. Root lives in southern Nevada and, while he has yet to announce a presidential bid, is considered one of the leading candidates for the Libertarian nod While he has praised New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who may be an independent presidential candidate in 2012, Ralph Nader has left the door open for running yet again for the White House himself. Nader continues to pound Obama from the left and, on Monday, attacked a deficit commission appointed by the president and the commission's recommendations The 2012 field has its work cut out, according to a poll released Monday by Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with ties to the Democrats. More Americans see the candidates unfavorably than favorably. PPP asked voters their thoughts on Obama, Bloomberg, Huckabee, Romney, Palin, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and incoming U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Every single one of those politicians had more voters see them as unfavorable than as favorable.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshineshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
