Former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour told ABC's "This Week" Sunday that he voted for Newt Gingrich in his state's primary.
"I didn't endorse anybody [before the primary]," Barbour told host Jonathan Karl. "I didn't want to try to influence anybody's vote, so beforehand I didn't say who I voted for. But Newt and I have been friends a long, long time… Out of friendship, I voted for Newt."
The former Republican National Committee chairman said he has "better sense than to try to predict how this deal's gonna come out" for the eventual nomination.
"Santorum may go on a tear starting in Illinois, who knows," Barbour said. "I don't think anybody's got it wrapped up, so that means everybody's still got a chance."
Barbour said he had no regrets about not entering the GOP race himself, saying he "never had the fire in the belly" to run for president.
"I made a very conscious decision after months and months of serious deliberation," Barbour said. "I've been around long enough, been in enough campaigns: you either gotta be all in or not in at all."
If he had run, Barbour said he would have worked to keep more of the focus on President Obama's record on the economy and deficits.
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