FACTBOX: Palin among possible Republican presidential candidates

(Reuters) - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said on Friday she will resign this month and will not run for re-election as governor amid speculation that she will seek the Republican party's nomination for president in 2012.

Palin was Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate in last year's election and rallied the party's conservative base.

Following is a list of Republicans seen as potential candidates for their party's nomination in 2012. No candidate has announced that he or she will run for the presidency but U.S. politicians often start gearing up for a bid years in advance.

Haley Barbour - The governor of Mississippi is seen as a party power broker. He was chairman of the Republican National Committee and last month was named chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Mitt Romney - The former governor of Massachusetts came in second to eventual 2008 Republican nominee McCain. Romney is a successful businessman who also ran the 2002 Winter Olympics. He is a major party fund-raiser.

Sarah Palin - The Alaska governor retains star power, a useful commodity in U.S. politics. As well as igniting the Republican base during last year's election, she drew fire for what critics said was a lack of knowledge of policy issues.

Tim Pawlenty - The governor of Minnesota announced last month he would not stand for another term. The decision was seen by some as giving Pawlenty more latitude to pursue a presidential bid.

Bobby Jindal - One of the nation's youngest governors, Louisiana's 38-year-old chief executive is seen as a rising star in the party and is a favorite of conservatives. A high-profile, televised speech Jindal gave in February was criticized as lackluster.

Mark Sanford - The South Carolina governor boosted his credentials as a fiscal conservative this year by opposing a federal stimulus package and refusing part of the money allocated for his state. But a sex scandal has all but ended his chances of a successful bid in 2012.

Newt Gingrich - The prominent former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, who is from Georgia, is widely admired by conservatives for his role in helping to end 40 years of Democratic majorities in the House in 1994.

Mike Huckabee - The former governor of Arkansas excited the party's evangelical base during his run for the Republican nomination in 2008. He now has his own cable TV show.

John Thune - The Republican senator from South Dakota ranks high with many conservatives.

John Ensign - The senator from Nevada resigned from his Senate leadership post last week after admitting to an extramarital affair. That has damaged his chances for a 2012 bid.

(Writing by Matthew Bigg in Atlanta; Editing by Chris Wilson)