Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour insists he won’t think about a possible 2012 presidential bid until after this year’s election, but he’s already taking steps to build support in first-in-the-nation Iowa.
Barbour sent a mail piece to Iowa Republicans last week introducing himself to likely caucus-goers.
“Haley knows what it takes to succeed,” reads the mailer, touting the Mississippian’s tenure as chairman of the Republican National Committee during the 1994 GOP sweep, his post-Katrina leadership as governor and his current post atop the Republican Governors Associaion.
The piece encourages recipients to sign up for updates on Barbour’s website, a means of building a list.
The governor is planning to raise money later this year in Iowa for GOP gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad and, officially, the piece is aimed at only 2010.
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