Rick Perry has “huge” opening as many in GOP establishment remain uncommitted

washingtonpost.com ^ | Tuesday, July 12, 1:58 PM | Philip Rucker and Perry Bacon Jr.

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]

As he weighs whether to jump into the 2012 Republican presidential race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been dialing GOP establishment bigwigs across the country. In phone calls that sometimes stretch more than a half hour, Perry asks the same questions:

Is the door open for a new candidate? And how wide is it open?

Perry is finding that a vast reservoir of the Republican Party establishment — broadly defined to include elected officials, donors, strategists and activists whose support fuels presidential campaigns — is so far untapped, according to interviews conducted Monday and Tuesday with 19 major donors, strategists and party officials in13 states.

Establishment figures are waiting to see a candidate build and finance a national campaign, hone a strong economic message and, most of all, prove that he or she can go the distance to defeat President Obama. The biggest force driving these kingmakers is that they are hungry for a winner, and although former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is widely considered the early frontrunner, broad swaths of the party remain unconvinced that he’s the one.

SNIP

The absence of an overwhelming frontrunner is bolstering the candidacy of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), a tea-party heroine who many key party figures believe cannot beat Obama.

SNIP

Republicans interviewed also said they were open to backing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), although both have adamantly denied they will run. But only one of the 19 establishment figures interviewed mentioned former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, even though she said in a Newsweek story this week that she is still considering a 2012 candidacy.

[wolfcreek]

I was right there with you in protesting the TTC and had friends who were willing to go into armed conflict in order to save their family farms and ranches. We won and now Perry has signed an eminent domain bill into law to protect those same families. Definite (and unusual) turnaround.

Maybe he listened to the people?

I completely understand your refusal to vote for someone you consider a *socialist* but, if you really believe Obama needs to go, voting for an unproven, non-political candidate might not be the best way to achieve that goal.

Just sayin.