Haley Barbour says no decision yet on presidential run

Though he said he’s delaying a decision about a presidential run until after November, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour defended his resume Wednesday, arguing that his time as a lobbyist would actually be an advantage.

“I don’t shy away from my career,” he told reporters in Washington at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “I’m a lawyer, a lobbyist and a politician. That’s the trifecta.”

The nation needs a lobbyist-in-chief because the next president will need to advocate, Barbour argued, much as he did as governor seeking resources for his state in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Asked about the man he would likely run against in 2012, Barbour said he takes the president at his word that he is a Christian and born in the United States, and that he did not know why such rumors have lingered for so long.

“I don’t know why people think what they think,” he said.

But he then offered this possible explanation: “This is a president that we know less about than any president in history.”

Barbour, chair of the Republican Governors Assn., said he was optimistic about his party’s chances this November, particularly in open-seat races in California, Minnesota, Hawaii and Connecticut.

He added that the governors’ group had raised the money necessary to run strong ground operations in these key states, making up for a shortfall at the Republican National Committee.

Democratic Governors Assn. Executive Director Nathan Daschle countered that Barbour and the RGA were prematurely “popping champagne,” and said their strategy of nationalizing elections would prove to be a failure.

“This is a sign of their weakness,” he told reporters on a conference call after Barbour’s remarks. “Voters know the difference between a governor and a senator.”

tom.hamburger@latimes.com

michael.memoli@latimes.com