John Thune: Palin’s Decision On 2012 Will Impact Mine

South Dakota Senator John Thune said today that his decision on whether or not to run for President in 2012 will be influenced to some extent by what Sarah Palin does:

Sen. John Thune said Thursday that Sarah Palin’s decision whether or not to run for president will “change the equation” for him and all other potential Republican contenders.

“She is someone who has a tremendous following out there, particularly in some of the early states,” the South Dakota Republican said in an interview with CNN’s “Situation Room” that will air later Thursday.

(…)

Thune said that he will make his decision about running sometime early next year, but he conceded that the possibility of a Palin run will be weighing heavily on his choice.

“I think that if she were to get into the race, it would clearly change the equation for a lot of people,” he said.

Many have speculated that 2012 could bring a large Republican field, but if other candidates are thinking the way Thune obviously is, we could see people hesitant to run until they know what Sarah Palin is doing,

Quite honestly, if they do that, they’ve already conceded far more to her than she’s entitled to.

Senator, if you want to run for President, run. Make your case. Don’t let whatever games the former Mayor of Wasilla is playing change your mind. If you do, you’ve already sent a signal that you don’t have the stomach for a fight.

FILED UNDER: 2012 Election, US Politics, , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Herb says:

    “Senator, if you want to run for President, run. Make your case.”

    Yeah, if you’re applying for the “Leader of the Free World” job, you might want to be more of a leader and less of a follower.

    Of course, I think Thune’s statement should be read as pathetic butt-kissing than a signal on his intent.

  2. Davebo says:

    I carry no water at all for Sarah Palin, but seriously?

    She bailed to be sure, but she’s the former Governor of Alaska rather than the former Mayor of Wasilla right Doug?

    All that said, I’m becoming more confident she could be the GOP nominee in 2012. Even though she’s not likely to win in a general election I’d prefer her to John gutless Thune who would also stand no chance in a general election.

  3. gary says:

    It’s apparent that you hold little regard for Palin. I hope Obama and the dems feel likewise. She’ll roll over those numnuts.

    My ideal ticket for ’12 is a Romney-Palin ticket – in that order – setting the stage for Palin to move to the top in ’16 or ’20. She will still be relatively young – and very experienced – when that time rolls around.

  4. An Interested Party says:

    “She’ll roll over those numnuts.”

    Really? Where will that take place? In Candy Land, perhaps…

  5. G.A.Phillips says:

    He said if he did run he would go all out. That’s what he said.