Mike Huckabee quietly consults with donors about 2012 bid

Is Mike Huckabee gearing up for a 2012 run?

Sources tell Politico's Maggie Haberman the former Arkansas governor turned Fox News host has been quietly reaching out to potential donors and recently met with a group of GOP activists in New York about a potential White House bid.

Huckabee, who tops many early 2012 GOP primary polls, has repeatedly said he won't make a decision about whether or not he'll make a second run for the presidency until later this summer.

But in recent weeks, several of his former top staffers have gone to work for his potential Republican rivals, prompting speculation that Huckabee will stay on the sidelines next year. Recently, other Republicans considering a bid for the GOP nomination--including Haley Barbour and Newt Gingrich--have began to woo Huckabee behind the scenes, knowing that if he doesn't run his endorsement will be a major "get" for anybody in the race.

Still, Hogan Gidley, chairman of Huckabee's political action committee, HuckPAC, said in a statement to Politico that the ex-governor is still very much "seriously considering" a bid but insists he hasn't asked anybody for donations, yet.

"Governor Huckabee has not asked anyone for money for a presidential run nor has he told anyone that he's going to be a candidate," Gidley told Politico.

But he added that it wouldn't be unusual for Huckabee to have those conversations, given he is listed as a "definitive frontrunner" in "virtually every credible poll in the nation."

(Photo of Huckabee: Alex Brandon/AP)