Governors lining up early for Oval Office

Govs. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee and Mike Easley of North Carolina - also both Democrats - have started appearing on lists, but there is less presidential buzz around them at the moment.

In the Republican camp, Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts may be the most overt about his presidential ambitions so far - judging by speaking engagements in early nominating states - though he denies he has made a decision. If he does decide to run, neighboring New Hampshire could prove problematic for him - and if it did, that could spell the end of a candidacy.

"Republicans in New Hampshire are asking, 'How could he be a true conservative Republican and be elected governor of Massachusetts?' " says New Hampshire-based pollster Dick Bennett.

In recent speeches outside Massachusetts, Governor Romney has appeared to try to shore up his conservative credentials by distancing himself from his state's liberalism on social policies - including gay marriage. But if he disses his state too much, that could make it hard to work with Democrats on the home front, which in turn could hurt his reelection chances in 2006, analysts say. A defeated governor hardly makes for an effective presidential candidate.

Also among the "mentioned" on the Republican side are Govs. Bill Owens of Colorado and Haley Barbour of Mississippi. In the last election, Republicans didn't do well in Colorado, which may limit Governor Owens's potential ambitions. As for the very Southern Governor Barbour, New Hampshire political analysts have a hard time seeing him playing well in their northern state.

"I don't see Haley Barbour as a door-to-door or living-room campaigner here," says political scientist Linda Fowler of Dartmouth College, mentioning other southern politicians in the recent past who haven't translated well in the Granite State, such as former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm.

No list of GOP governors thinking of running would be complete without New York's George Pataki, but for now the conventional wisdom holds that any Republican who favors abortion rights can't win the GOP nomination. So for now, that also rules out one of the party's most popular figures, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

In the realm of famous Republican governors who insist they're not running - and may actually mean it - there's Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Jeb Bush of Florida. Speaking on "Meet the Press" Sunday, Governor Schwarzenegger stated flatly that "my goal is not to run for president," then seemed to back that up by refusing to answer any questions that didn't have to do with California. The Austrian-born actor also maintains he is not behind any of the efforts to amend the Constitution to allow naturalized citizens to run for president.

Governor Bush of Florida, brother of the president, has also said no to 2008. Some political analysts think this is a wise choice, surmising that the American public may be tired of the Bush family by the time the current President Bush finishes his term. But some Republicans are hoping he will change his mind.

• Staff writer Gail Russell Chaddock contributed to this report.

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