Saturday, August 01, 2009

OP ED: Barbour for President? Seriously

LINK

Barbour for President? Seriously
by Matt Mackowiak
Congressional Quarterly
Friday, July 31, 2009

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has shown he knows how to maneuver his way through a bad storm. While leaders in neighboring Louisiana bickered about who loused up the recovery there from Hurricane Katrina, Barbour was taking bows for his work in Mississippi and cruising to re-election with a higher margin than four years earlier.

The former national Republican Party chairman is leading the Republican Governors Association, having stepped in to take the wheel after its former chairman, Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina flamed out in a scandal that left his career and family in tatters.

Barbour takes over the RGA as 37 states prepare to hold gubernatorial elections next year. Thus, Barbour will be raising money and campaigning on behalf of many Republican candidates, increasing his national profile and getting himself up to date with key party officials, politicians and donors across the country.

In June he visited the pivotal primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa to help raise money for their state GOP organizations.