Politics / Sarah Palin Palin Laid Groundwork for 2012 Run There are some successful candidates who owe her one By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff Posted Nov 4, 2010 7:25 AM CDT Copied This Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 file photo shows Sarah Palin, as she steps on stage to talk before a crowd at a baseball field in Grand Junction, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, FILE) Not all Sarah Palin’s “Mama Grizzlies” won, but enough did to give her a significant leg up going into a possible 2012 race, the New York Times reports. When the primary season kicks off in New Hampshire, for example, she’ll be able to call in a favor from newly-elected senator Kelly Ayotte. After that, the nomination campaign heads to South Carolina—where Palin endorsee Nikki Haley will be governor. But if Palin does decide to run, she’ll face tough questions about the candidates that didn’t win, like Palin mini-me Christine O'Donnell. And her 2012 rivals were active this year as well; Mitt Romney’s PAC for example quietly doled out more than $1 million to GOP candidates, while Haley Barbour can claim credit as the chairman of a newly-expanded Republican Governors Association. For another, more pessimistic take on Palin's election efforts, click here. (More Sarah Palin stories.) Report an error