Keating will make decision to run for president soon

A spokesman for former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, a Republican, said Keating is thinking about running for president and knows the “clock is always ticking” to make a decision soon.

Dan Mahoney, a longtime aide to Keating, said in an interview that Keating only began thinking about running for president when it became apparent that outgoing US Senator George Allen would not be a viable presidential candidate.

“With Allen’s loss in Virginia, he felt a Reagan-like conservative candidate was missing from the mix,” said Mahoney. “That got him to think he could fill that role.”

There is no “definite time table” for Keating to make a decision, but Mahoney said he understands that for fund-raising and getting organized the earlier the decision the better.

Keating was in South Carolina on Wednesday talking with party leaders there about a potential run. South Carolina holds the first Southern primary, which takes place just days after the New Hampshire Primary.

Keating was the governor of Oklahoma during the Oklahoma City bombing.