Continúan los esfuerzos para reclutar al candidato ideal

Wall Street Journal:

(...) "Do I think the field is complete yet? I would have thought so, but I've got to be honest. I think there could be a few more surprises," said New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Jack Kimball.

There are few firm signs either Mr. Christie or Mr. Ryan will take the leap, but aides acknowledge the pressure. In Aspen, Colo., a few days ago, former Reagan administration official William Bennett took Mr. Ryan on a long hike, urging him to consider a presidential bid, according to people knowledgeable about the discussion.

Mr. Ryan's deficit-reduction plan has been roundly criticized by Democrats, but Republican insiders see him as the candidate with the intellectual heft to beat Mr. Obama in debates.

Mr. Christie, too, has been on the receiving end of many recent calls to get into the race. But Christie advisers have put the word out to unaligned donors and party elites in recent days that he has no plans to run.

"The intensity of the recruitment efforts has certainly increased to a new level, but nothing has changed in terms of the governor's plans," said Christie adviser Mike Du Haime.

(...) An unease also persists among big fund-raisers. "A lot of major bundlers are just kind of sitting on the sidelines waiting to see how things play out," said Ray Washburne, a top Pawlenty fund-raiser who has yet to commit to another campaign.

The challenge lies in the fact that the ideal contender, even more than normal, has to check two contradictory boxes: He or she has to appeal to the GOP's energized tea-party and social-conservative wings, while also assuring the party's elites of the ability to reach out to more moderate swing voters who usually decide general elections.

"Most people in the center-right realize that Obama is eminently beatable. Yet they don't feel that they are hearing a compelling message of how the leading Republican candidates are going to dig the country out of the economic quagmire that it's in, and they are searching for that message," said Fred Malek, a GOP fund-raiser who remains unaligned with any candidate.

There are others still in the wings. Former New York Gov. George Pataki has put out feelers in recent days, but his entry as a moderate Republican has gotten little encouragement, senior Republicans said Sunday. Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.) said former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is still pondering a run and should decide within days.

(...) Some GOP operatives say that time may have already run out for anyone beyond Ms. Palin to enter the race. "To develop a national campaign, you have to have been in a serious planning mode for months by now," said Phil Musser, a Pawlenty adviser. (...)