Campaign 2012: The potential candidates

Republicans have started to declare their intentions to run for president in 2012. Here is a look at those who are still contemplating a potential presidential bid or actively working toward one.

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Sept. 30, 2011

Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry gestures during an address at a campaign stop in Derry, N.H.

Charles Krupa / AP

Sept. 29, 2011

Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) speaks to the media after a roundtable discussion with business leaders in Charlotte.

Chuck Burton / AP

Sept. 28, 2011

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney bows his head during applause while speaking at a town hall meeting at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

Cheryl Senter / AP

Oct. 2, 2011

Republican presidential candidate and businessman Herman Cain, fresh off a surprising win in Florida's straw poll election, speaks to supporters as he makes a campaign stop and launches his new book "This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House," outside the Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub in Milton, Ga.

Curtis Compton / AP

Sept. 29, 2011

Republican presidential candidate and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) speaks at a house party in Derry, N.H.

Jim Cole / AP

Sept. 29, 2011

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a town hall meeting with employees at the Principal Financial Group in Des Moines. Hoping to revive his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Gingrich is calling for an overhaul of the way Americans pay taxes and buy health care and would allow young people to opt out of the Social Security system.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Sept. 7, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry gives a thumbs up as he stands on stage before the Reagan Centennial GOP presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. Perry’s campaign is moving aggressively to reassure key Republican leaders, donors and activists of his strength as a candidate, after a series of uneven performances in September.

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) gestures during a speech at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. <strong>Bachmann </strong>put an exclamation point on a remarkable first 50 days in the 2012 presidential race by winning the Ames Straw Poll in August, a victory seen as entrenching her in the top tier of candidates.

Sept. 28, 2011

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) gestures during a speech at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Bachmann put an exclamation point on a remarkable first 50 days in the 2012 presidential race by winning the Ames Straw Poll in August, a victory seen as entrenching her in the top tier of candidates.

Steve Helber / AP

Sept. 24, 2011

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, arrive at the Republican Leadership Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich. As Republicans swoon over other , more incendiary candidates, Romney is sticking to his tortoise-beats-all-the-hares strategy. “You just express what you believe, talk about the issues you care about. Hopefully, people will come to you in the final analysis,” he said.

Carlos Osorio / AP

Sept. 24, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain speaks during the Republican Party's Florida Presidency 5 convention in Orlando. Cain won the Florida GOP presidential straw poll in a major surprise Sept. 24, as Republicans there delivered a rebuke to Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Mark Wilson / Getty Images

Sept. 26, 2011

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas speaks to a crowd during a town hall meeting at the Northeast Iowa Community College east campus in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. Paul has a loyal and relatively large following — according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 25 percent of the American public views the Texas congressman favorably while 27 percent see him in an unfavorable light — but of the 25 percent of people who regard Paul favorably, roughly two-thirds don’t identify themselves as Republicans.

Jessica Reilly / AP

Sept. 24, 2011

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, center, talks with the Sandhage family of Milford, N.H., during a meet-and-greet at Joey's Diner in Amherst, N.H. Since arriving on the scene, Jon Huntsman has slipped below the fold. He might not be able to make it to the next debate — without 2 percent in three national polls, you don’t receive airtime, and he has only managed 2 percent in one.

Cheryl Senter / AP

Sept. 6, 2011

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich poses with a supporter before a town-hall-style meeting in Pasadena, Calif. Gingrich, who is trying to revive his presidential campaign after a series of stumbles early on, said he will unveil a set of sweeping changes to government that he says will foster a “national renewal” in the United States and return the country to its founding principles.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Sept. 16, 2010

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), center, greets young attendees at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington. Bachmann has said she wants to be "part of the conversation" for 2012.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

Sept. 1, 2010

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.), chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is considered by some to the the party's most influential member. His fundraising prowess, combined with the importance of potential GOP gains in state governorships, places him in a strong position to mount a 2012 bid.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

April 9, 2010

Rick Santorum, Republican former senator from Pennsylvania, is considered a long shot for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Gerald Herbert / AP

Feb. 17, 2010

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) is no stranger to presidential campaigns. He finished second to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 GOP presidential primary and has since been funneling money to potential 2010 candidates like Christine O'Donnell via his political action committee.

Cliff Owen / AP

In 2009, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) accused then-Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor of being a racist. He quickly walked back the accusation, leading many to believe he was shedding baggage in the event he decided to run for the presidency in 2012.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Feb. 18, 2010

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) will not be running for another term in his home state, making him a likely candidate in 2012. Like Mitt Romney, he has been donating and endorsing candidates in the 2012 midterms. Democrats, anxious to cut Pawlenty off early, have already released an ad attacking him.

Joshua Roberts / Reuters

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) finished third in the 2008 GOP presidential primary and has since become a prominent personality on the Fox News Channel. Most recently Huckabee endorsed his former 2008 campaign director Justin Ready, a candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates.

Helayne Seidman / For The Washington Post

Former Alaska Governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin enjoys strong support within the tea party, and her last-minute endorsements (over 40 in total) have made talk of her 2012 ambitions practically a requirement. But polls show her appeal is relatively narrow.

Ed Reinke / AP

Featured Photo Galleries

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 29: Serena Williams of USA stretches to plays a forehand in her women's singles first round match between Serena Williams of USA and Virginie Razzano of France during day three of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

French Open results: Serena Williams loses, Maria Sharapova cruises

The American tennis star lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event.

Winnie Pajcic, 9, holds on to a railing as she leans back in the wind during a visit to Stockton Park in Ortega, Fla., in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Beryl on Monday May 28, 2012. Beryl came ashore early Monday near Jacksonville Beach with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

Tropical storm Beryl, Flugtag, Rolling Thunder, Memorial Day and more in the day in photos

Tropical storm Beryl, Flugtag, Rolling Thunder, Memorial Day and more.

Camels rest at a watering hole outside the town of Aleg May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MAURITANIA - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY)

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more in animal views

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more.

ANNAPOLIS, MD- MAY 29: Graduates cheer as the Blue Angels fly over during the 100th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremonies in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. U.S Sec. of Defense Leon Edward Panetta gave the graduation address. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

U.S. Naval Academy graduation

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the commencement address at the ceremony.

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 26: Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (C) performs with dancers during the Q'Viva! The Chosen Live show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Lil Jon, Eddie Van Halen, Mariah Carey and other celebrities.

Doc Watson, bluegrass and folk legend, dies at 89

The blind singer and guitarist was a Grammy winner, known for his flat-picking style of guitar playing.

Henry, a calf, sustained a head wound and required stitches after being slashed over the weekend.

Farm animals attacked in Fairfax

A calf, two goats and a chicken were slashed over the weekend at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon.

COVINGTON, LA - MAY 14: Brother Emmanuel Labrise of St. Joseph's Abbey prepares a casket for lining on May 15, 2012 in Covington, Louisiana. Louisiana law forbids those who are not licensed funeral directors from selling caskets. And since Hurricane Katrina leveled the timberlands that once provided the main source of funding for the abbey, the monks have attempted to make a living by building and selling simple cypress caskets. The monks won their first round last year, and have a hearing at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in June. (Photo by Sean Gardner/For the Washington Post)

Louisiana monks fight for the right to sell coffins

Federal court case pits a group of monks against the funeral home industry.

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