2012ers edge closer to announcing official campaigns

No one wants to come out and say it, but a number of Republicans have recently indicated that they plan to mount campaigns to seek the party’s 2012 presidential nomination. None of the statements come as a complete shock — each GOPer in question spent significant parts of 2010 engaged in behavior befitting a possible presidential candidate — but after the midterm election, politicians have been increasingly candid about their intentions.

On Fox News Sunday, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich essentially said that he plans to enter the field of candidates next year. “Calista and I will make a decision probably at the end of February, beginning of March,” Gingrich said. “I think we’re much more inclined to run than not run. And I think we — everything we’ve done over the last year, talking to friends, thinking things through, has made us more inclined to believe that it’s doable.”

Here’s his full interview:

Mike Huckabee also inserted himself into the conversation over the weekend. In an interview with Politico, the former Arkansas governor essentially chastised the media for not paying him enough attention, indicating that he is more likely than not going to make a run.

“I just don’t understand how it is that a person can read these polls day after day and the narrative is constantly everybody but me,” he told POLITICO. “Whether I do it or not, the fact is that if one looks at the overall body of information that’s available, nobody would be in a better position to take it all the way to November.”

Huckabee’s push to include himself in the list of potential candidates could have the biggest impact on the ongoing 2012 calculus. Unlike 2008 when he was a largely unknown figure, Huckabee enters the next election cycle among the leaders in name recognition. If he chooses to run, he would immediately become a front runner, particularly due to his strength in Iowa. He won the caucus state in 2008, and his former campaign manager Bob Vander Plaats recently created a new organization with the explicit mission to organize the state’s social conservative movement behind one candidate.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney went on NBC’s The Tonight Show last Wednesday where he did his best to dodge any outright questions on entering the 2012 presidential field. “If you ever see me sign up for a gig on Fox News, it’ll be a clear indication that I’ve decided to run for president,” he joked with host Jay Leno.

Watch part of the interview below:

Other potential candidates have been more coy about their intentions. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made two stops in Iowa last week for her book tour, but ducked reporters’ questions regarding her presidential ambitions. Lower-profile candidates such as Sen. John Thune (S.D.) or Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels have not faced the same incessant media questioning that the Palins and Romneys have been subjected to.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty have been the clearest about their plans to mount presidential campaigns next year. Neither has minced words about the fact that they are in the phase of considering a presidential run. Pawlenty leads the field in 2010-visits to Iowa while Santorum has made frequent appearances in the Hawkeye State and New Hampshire, the second state on the nominating calendar.