The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker and Perry Bacon, Jr. write on the GOP establishment, which is still largely in wait-and-see mode, especially in the early-primary states:

“It’s a huge opening for Rick Perry — huge, huge, huge,” said New Hampshire operative Mike Dennehy, who is neutral in the race. “If he announces and really announces with a bang, he could gobble up a solid third of the Republican Party establishment in New Hampshire and, I do believe, nationally.”
Many of former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour’s supporters, who have largely stayed on the fence since the Mississippi governor decided not to run in 2012, are preparing to back Perry. Henry Barbour, the governor’s nephew and a member of the RNC, said that he would endorse Perry if he runs.
“I hope he does run,” Henry Barbour said. “I’ve talked to a number of folks who were going to support Haley had he run and a good percentage of them are very favorable to a Perry candidacy.. . .He’s got a great record in Texas, we align with him philosophically and he can win. It’s that simple.”