While U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., has said he has no intention of running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, other candidates seem more than willing to take his place as one of the conservative favorites in the field.
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a favorite of the tea party movement, said he was open to the possibility of running for the presidency, and last week announced that he would be heading out to Iowa, home of the first presidential caucus, in March DeMint was not the only tea party hero with the Hawkeye State in their sights. Sharon Angle, the Republican candidate who came close to knocking off U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in November, also paid a visit to Iowa and said she was open in regard to her future political aspirations -- and did not rule out a presidential bid of her own Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, another conservative looking at running for the Republican presidential nomination, made two hires in Iowa, bringing Nick Ryan and Jill Latham on board his Americas Foundation PAC. Latham had been on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romneys Iowa team back in 2008 Speaking of Romney and Iowa, while he placed second there in 2008, reports are out that he may be skipping the caucus to focus on New Hampshire
Some Iowans watching the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday watched an ad being run by Students for Daniels urging Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana to enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination. The ad was run on a Des Moines Fox affiliate U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and may do so again in 2012, opened up the door for running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2012. Paul had said earlier in the month that he was not interested Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin heads out to California to speak at the Reagan Ranch Center on Feb. 4 to celebrate the 40th presidents 100th birthday
West Virginia used to be a stalwart Democratic state, even backing Mike Dukakis back in 1988. Not any more. While John McCain beat Barack Obama in 208 by 13 points, a new survey from Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with connections to national Democrats, shows West Virginia has become part of the Republican base. A new PPP poll found Obama trailing all four of the leading Republican candidates in West Virginia and three of them had double-digit leads over the president. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee led Obama 54 percent to 36 percent. Romney beat the president 50 percent to 37 percent. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich took 49 percent while Obama had 39 percent. Palin edged Obama 46 percent to 42 percent Former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, who ran in the 2008 Democratic primaries and has not ruled out running against Obama in 2012, weighed in this week on American relations with China, arguing that American imperialism is exasperating the tensions between the two nations The Obama re-election fund-raising efforts kick into overdrive this week as his new campaign manager Jim Messina heads off to New York for development events Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he expected to be on the ticket in 2012
Numerous third-party leaders and presidential hopefuls responded to Obamas State of the Union address. Wayne Allyn Root, who was Bob Barrs running mate in 2008 on the Libertarian ticket, and will be one of the favorites to win that partys nomination in 2012 if he runs, took aim at the address. So did Lee Wrights who is also expected to run for the Libertarian nod. The Constitution Party sent out their vice chairman Darryl Castle, who was their vice presidential candidate in 2008, to respond to the speech Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who is mulling over yet another presidential campaign, returned to his roots last week, calling for Fiat to issue a recall for Jeep Grand Cherokees made between 1993 and 2004 due to safety concerns While buzz that former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore -- best known for his role in defending the Ten Commandments monument in his courthouse --will launch a presidential campaign in 2012 has died down, he is focusing on protecting traditional marriage. Moores Foundation for Moral Law has filed in support of the Defense of Marriage Act that Congress passed in 1996 defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
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