The Hill News

The second-ranking House Republican said that healthcare wasn't a dealbreaker for Mitt Romney's presidential aspirations.

While other Republicans have ramped up their criticism of the former Massachusetts governor, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that the fight over healthcare in Washington wouldn't cancel out Romney's presidential ambitions.

"I don't think so," Cantor said on CNBC when asked if congressional Republicans' fight against President Obama's healthcare reform would be a drag on Romney.

Cantor's slight defense comes after a week in which several top GOP competitors to Romney and Obama himself took shots at the Republican for the healthcare plan he installed as governor of Massachusetts.

Conservative critics say that Romney's plan essentially resembles Obama's, a policy GOP voters have long deplored.

Not all Republicans have joined the pile-on of "RomneyCare," though. Former Minnesota Gov.! Tim Pawlenty (R) consciously avoided an opportunity to hit his possible campaign trail foe.

"I'm going to try to abide by Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment, which we are not going to talk negatively about other folks," Pawlenty said Monday night on Fox News.

But House GOP leaders must walk an even finer line as the 2012 presidential election gets underway.

While they each might have their own private preferences about candidates, if leaders like Cantor were to weigh in on behalf of candidates, it could risk the perception of overlap between the actions of the Republican House and the campaigns of certain GOP candidates.

"I'm not saying who it is that may emerge, but all I can tell you is that we have a chance as Republicans in the House to demonstrate what effective Republican leadership should be about," Cantor said.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been diligent about avoiding saying who he wants to see win! the nomination, or saying which candidate he thinks might hav! e a leg up in the wide open field.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), by contrast, had openly cheered on Sen. John Thune's (R-S.D.) potential candidacy, but hasn't stated any other preference since Thune declined to run.

Cantor did endorse Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during the 2008 Republican presidential primary, but not until Romney had dropped out and McCain's nomination seemed like a foregone conclusion.

"If we do our job right, we can set up the choice for the electorate in 2012," the majority leader said.