Barbour in 2012?

One governor’s sex scandal is another's big opportunity. With Mark Sanford besmirched, Mississippi’s Haley Barbour is poised for a run in 2012. But will the powerful Republican’s murky past get in the way of his—and the party’s—future?

Published Jun. 27 2009 3:35PM EDT

articles/2009/06/27/barbour-in-2012/jacohaley-barbour_34381_lem2tj — Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

articles/2009/06/27/barbour-in-2012/jacohaley-barbour_34381_xgkb1a

If there’s hand-wringing in Columbia, South Carolina, over Governor Mark Sanford’s affair, there may be some back-slapping 600 miles west in Jackson, Mississippi. That’s because the state capital is the home to the man most likely to profit from Sanford’s downfall—Governor Haley Barbour.

Not that Barbour has actually been home much...

Samuel P. Jacobs

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Barbour in 2012?

One governor’s sex scandal is another's big opportunity. With Mark Sanford besmirched, Mississippi’s Haley Barbour is poised for a run in 2012. But will the powerful Republican’s murky past get in the way of his—and the party’s—future?

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Samuel P. Jacobs