A Washington mega-lobbyist turned master political strategist, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is universally revered among influential Republicans. But cachet in the smoke-filled backrooms of D.C. and a turn as the popular executive of a conservative Southern state does not a successful presidential candidate make. After early flirtations produced little traction in the polls and a string of national reporters scrutinized his controversial statements on the civil rights era, Barbour decided in April he’d prefer a more familiar role in 2012–playing gatekeeper to the highest echelons of the moneyed GOP establishment.
Top 10 People Really, Truly, Honestly Not Running for President
Chris Christie is only the latest in slew of politicians whose supposed 2012 aspirations turned out to be nothing more than D.C.'s collective fever dream.
Haley Barbour
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Top 10 People Really, Truly, Honestly Not Running for President