New governors may outshine White House hopefuls

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Townhall:

What's wrong with this picture? While half a dozen current and former Republican governors weigh bids to challenge President Barack Obama, the party's lightning and thunder are coming from a different handful of governors, who threaten to overshadow those potential candidates.

Republicans drawing the most national attention in recent weeks are first-term Govs. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Chris Christie of New Jersey. Many conservatives love them for battling public-sector unions in the name of cutting government spending.

Not far behind is another tier of hard-charging, tough-talking GOP governors who say they are showing the country how to shrink budgets, and vowing to hold Obama accountable in ways traditionally left to Congress. They include Rick Perry of Texas, John Kasich of Ohio and Bob McDonnell of Virginia.

None of these governors shows any interest in running for president next year. Christie and Perry, in particular, routinely knock down the notion. Even if they resist temptation, however, these governors may play important roles in shaping a Republican presidential primary that is slow to take form.

They aren't just grabbing the headlines and TV coverage that any White House aspirant would crave. They are emphasizing issues, and displaying zeal, that could cause some of the potential presidential contenders to squirm.