Republican Hopefuls for 2012 Taking It Slow

Don't expect formal candidates until February at the earliest

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 10, 2010 12:38 PM CST

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Republican Hopefuls for 2012 Taking It Slow — Governor-elect Mark Dayton, right, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty arrive at a news conference to address transition issues Dec. 9, 2010, in St. Paul. Minn. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Richard Tsong-Taatarii)

Five Republicans had filed to run for the presidential nomination at this time four years ago; right now, there isn’t one. We can’t expect any formal declarations until February at the earliest, reports the Wall Street Journal. Why? For one thing, the first primaries won’t happen until a month later than they did in 2008. Plus, an RNC ruling requires any winner-take-all contests to take place later in the calendar year, possibly April.

But political concerns are also slowing things down: for Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, there are Fox News contracts, for example. There’s also “a feeling that everything just dragged on too long last time,” said a top aide to Mitt Romney’s 2008 campaign. Furthermore, no one potential candidate has a clear lead—and those in the running are taking time to study the battle between congressional Republicans and the president.
(More Mitt Romney stories.)

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