Governor Haley Barbour campaigns in New Hampshire

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour visited New Hampshire today to campaign on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidate John Stephen. The Nashua Telegraph describes Barbour as a potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate. As the head of the Republican Governors Association, Barbour's influence certainly goes far beyond the borders of the backwater state he governs. Still, he is not very well known here in the Granite State.

Barbour told reporters that he is working on an independent expenditure campaign designed to help Stephens beat incumbent Governor John Lynch in November. His trip to New Hampshire and fundraising efforts on behalf of Stephens may signal that Barbour is already laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2012. However, Barbour told reporters that he hasn't made any decisions about running for president and probably won't until after the 2010 election season is over.

The Lynch campaign issued a press release suggesting that Barbour's record as governor of Mississippi probably won't appeal to many voters in the Granite State. Under Barbour, the high school drop rate in Mississippi has increased by 16.9 percent took office and the state's economy has continued to stagnate, boasting the lowest per capita income in the nation.

Haley Barbour. He looks kind of like a cross between Bill Clinton and William Shatner, but is not quite as well known and much less funny.