Barbour could be Southern comfort in the North

Much to my surprise, there hasn't been a rush of Republicans declaring their intentions to run for president in 2012. As far as I can tell, Herman Cain has gone the furthest to throwing his hat in the ring, but even he has only gone as far as setting up an exploratory committee.

But could formal announcements be a thing of the past? Well, a GOP spokesman told CNN that Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is "running until he says he's not."

But will northern Republicans such as myself warm up to Barbour? Writing for RealClearPolitics, Scott Conroy says his southern "handicap" is overstated.

As Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour steps up his efforts to explore a possible presidential run, he faces one question that none of the other prospective candidates will have to address: can a back-slapping, Ole Miss Rebels fan with a molasses-rich drawl connect on a human level with caucus-goers and primary voters whose cultural roots are far from Yazoo City?

Though his Deep South persona and good ol' boy reputation are often cited as significant drawbacks for Barbour in the first voting states, Republican operatives and officials in Iowa and New Hampshire point to a bevy of historical and anecdotal evidence which suggests that he could do just fine navigating the snowy fields surrounding Sioux City or shaking hands with voters at a Dunkin' Donuts in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Iowa State Senator Bill Dix, who remains one of the more coveted endorsements in the State Capitol among 2012 GOP hopefuls, said that the vast majority of Iowa voters are more concerned about leadership qualities than regional traits.

"It may be a bigger issue with the general population, but as far as caucus-goers are concerned, they connect with people that are personable and bring forward new ideas and approaches that create enthusiasm," Dix said. "Those who would suggest that Barbour's being from the Deep South is a handicap, I think, are overstating the case."

Another son of the South, Mike Huckabee, won the GOP Iowa Caucuses in 2008. On the Democratic side, Jimmy Carter's breakout from obscurity began in the 1976 Iowa Caucuses. He went on to win the New Hampshire Primary that year. Bill Clinton won the 1992 New Hampshire Democratic Primary.

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Miss. guv Haley Barbour speaks at Ill. GOP unity breakfast

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