Former New York governor George Pataki wrapped up two days of meetings with New Hampshire Republican activists on Monday and said he was encouraged by what he heard.
In an interview Pataki said he was “seriously considering” a run for president, but he has not set a timetable on when he will make a decision.
In the meetings, he said, his pitch was that he “successfully ran one of the largest and most complicated governments in the country — and in a blue state.”
How that makes Pataki stand out in what could be an extremely crowded field of Republican presidential candidates is another question.
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Already the field may include other Republican governors of Democratic states, such as New Jersey’s Chris Christie, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, and potentially former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
In Iowa, where social conservatives can dominate, two former winners of the Iowa caucuses — former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum — are both considering bids.
Pataki, who supports abortion rights, said he has not decided whether to participate in the Iowa caucuses next year or the Ames Straw Poll in August.
“If we make a decision to run, there will be other decisions to make,” he said.
On Sunday and Monday Pataki met with Republican activists at bars and private meetings on the seacoast and in the Manchester area.
Pataki, who left office in 2007, also seriously considered running for president in 2008 and 2012.
James Pindell can be reached at James.Pindell@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jamespindell.