Haley Barbour bows out of 2012

Haley Barbour said Monday that he won't run for president in 2012, removing a fundraising powerhouse with establishment clout from the Republican primary field.

"This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided," the Mississippi governor said in a statement.

"A candidate for president today is embracing a 10-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else," Barbour added. "His [or her] supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty, and total certainty is required."

Barbour's announcement stunned political insiders, as many handicappers were expecting him to meet his self-imposed deadline and enter the race by the end of April.

He had made several recent trips to New Hampshire and South Carolina, attracting a large following and ample media attention. During the campaign-style stops, Barbour had been frank in telling potential supporters that he was "thinking about running for president" — but few observers believed he was actually on the fence.

The move may increase the likelihood that Mitch Daniels — the Indiana governor and Barbour's close friend — will indeed run, despite little campaign activity on his part. Both had indicated in the past that they did not want to run against each other and seemed to have a one or the other philosophy.

Barbour aides didn't have anything to add about his decision. "He decided not to run," is all nephew and political hand Henry Barbour would say. An Barbour spokesman declined to comment.

The announcement comes a week after a fruitful trip to South Carolina in which Barbour captured the Charleston County GOP straw poll, commanding 22 percent among the small sample of GOP activists.

The news that Barbour was not going to run was "surprising to say the least," said GOPAC chairman and longtime Republican strategist Frank Donatelli. "He would have been a very credible candidate with a strong record and access to campaign funds. ... His withdrawal leaves a vacuum for someone else."