Palin Evaluates Lay of the Land as She Gauges 2012 Bid
On the heels of her East Coast bus tour, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Sunday that she is still undecided about running for president in 2012.
The Republican told “Fox News Sunday” that she’s “right there in the middle” on making a decision. “I’m still trying to figure out what the lay of the land is as these weeks and months go by,” she said, and last week’s “One Nation” bus tour didn’t make up her mind.
After spending the past few months out of the political spotlight, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee announced the bus tour in May and plotted an itinerary that took her to significant historical sites. Political watchers interpreted the tour as a publicity test for a potential presidential bid, in no small part because her final stop was in New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state, which she had not visited since the 2008 campaign.
That stop on Thursday overlapped with Mitt Romney’s visit to the Granite State to announce that he would seek the GOP presidential nomination for a second time.
When questioned about whether she stepped on the former Massachusetts governor’s toes, Palin squirmed in her chair.
“I apologize if I stepped on any of that P.R. that Mitt Romney needed or wanted that day. I do sincerely apologize, and I didn’t mean to step on anybody’s toes,” she said. “I’ll step on the toes of those who are making poor decisions for our nation. I have faith that Mitt Romney is one who wants to make good, sound, fiscally responsible decisions for our nation.”
Palin also dismissed speculation that she and her political ally, Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), would compete for the same primary voters if they both seek the GOP presidential nomination. Bachmann is expected to announce her decision this month.
“We have differences, too,” Palin said. “I have many years of executive experience, too, and she has her strengths that she will add to the race. There’s certainly room. The more, the merrier. The more competition, the better.”