Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Huntsman resignation, 2012 decision expected by summer - NRCC bulks up comms shop - RNC fetes Reagan centennial - Santorum courts S.C. tea party - Monday stakes: Watch Thune, Cuomo - T-Paw: Bachmann 'strong'
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:28:15 -0500 (EST)

By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, [email-masked]) 

2012 SIREN - THE AMBASSADOR PREPARES - POLITICO's Jonathan Martin and your Morning Score correspondent: "The White House expects Jon Huntsman, the U.S. Ambassador to China, to resign his post this spring to explore a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, top Democrats said. GOP allies of Huntsman have already begun laying plans for a quick-start campaign should the former Utah governor decide to enter the ill-defined Republican field. While Huntsman has no direct involvement in it, a group of operatives that could eventually comprise his strategy team has set up an entity called 'Horizon PAC' to serve as a placeholder for his political apparatus. The PAC will be run by Susie Wiles, a Florida-based Republican strategist who recently managed the campaign of newly-inaugurated Gov. Rick Scott. ... Over the holidays, the ex-governor met with Sen. John McCain, whose 2008 presidential run Huntsman backed early on. ... Huntsman made plain that he was eyeing a White House campaign in the near term, according to a source close to the senator. A Republican briefed on plans for the political action committee said Huntsman's final decision on whether to run is expected in June or July." 

MORE HUNTSMAN - "His ambitions have been very much noted in the West Wing. And for public consumption, Obama and his top aides have responded by poking fun at the possibility. ... At an off-the-record dinner Saturday night, at which Huntsman was also present, White House Chief of Staff William Daley kept up the mockery. 'It's also good to see Jon Huntsman, our ambassador to China,' Daley said, according to a source in the room. 'Or as we call him around the White House: the Manchurian Candidate. I want Jon to know that the president has no hard feelings. In fact, he just did an interview with the Tea Party Express saying how integral he has been to the success of the Obama administration.'" http://politi.co/fXZjI5  

FIRST IN SCORE - THE BEST OFFENSE: The National Republican Congressional Committee has filled out its communications team for the 2012 cycle, selecting a group of campaign and Capitol Hill veterans to help protect the GOP's House majority - and keep as many Democratic incumbents on the defensive as possible. The NRCC's staff now includes three regional press secretaries: Tory Mazzola, a former aide to Rep. Bill Shuster and Sen. John Ensign who's staying on as the committee's spokesman for the Northeast; Tyler Houlton, a former Ryan Frazier campaign aide and communications director for Reps. Tom Tancredo and Mike Coffman, who's taking the Western region; and Andrea Bozek, an alum of the NRCC's 2006 operation and the Hill offices of Reps. Chris Lee and Tom Reynolds, who's taking the Midwest and Southeastern regions. Jon Thompson is staying on as the NRCC's TV and Radio director and Ted Kwong is joining the committee as a deputy press secretary after working on the campaigns of New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and California gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner. Leah Dow, previously the NRCC's communications intern, is moving into the role of press assistant. 

PLUS - AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED: The whole group is headed by communications director Paul Lindsay and deputy communications director Joanna Burgos, both of whom have moved up at the NRCC after being part of the majority-winning 2010 team. Emily Davis is taking over leadership communications, moving over from the personal office of NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions of Texas. 

As the Tea Party Express flop-flops, Buddy Roemer prepares to turn the ignition and Sarah Palin keeps the safety on, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign. 

MONDAY STAKES - Just when it looked like President Barack Obama had set Washington's agenda with his speech to Congress last week, events abroad took things in a sharply different direction. With the crisis in Egypt all but certain to dominate the week, here's Morning Score's take on who has the most to gain or lose in politics here at home: 

(1) The GOP's governor-heavy 2012 field - think Romney, Pawlenty, Barbour, Palin, Huckabee - who will be expected to weigh in on the situation in Egypt despite having no significant foreign policy credentials on any of their resumes; (2) South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who's going to need to act a lot more like a potential presidential candidate in February than he did in January, if he wants Mike Pence-like, will-he-or-won't-he coverage of his decision on a 2012 run; (3) Nevada Sen. John Ensign, who reportedly plans to hold a kickoff meeting with his reelection steering committee on Tuesday, and will have to have 1000-percent support from his closest advisers and fundraisers if he's going to have even a long shot at reelection; (4) Florida Rep. David Rivera, whose political condition has been downgraded from 'vulnerable' to 'likely one-termer' to 'possible half-termer' amid deepening corruption investigations, and looks like a growing liability for the new GOP majority; (5) New York Gov. and 2016 presidential prospect Andrew Cuomo, who's about to start a high-stakes fight over the state budget with a proposal for deep spending cuts -- the kind that other nationally prominent governors have tried and failed to implement, to their own political detriment. 

2012 SNEAK PEEK - TEA TIME FOR SANTORUM - Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum plans to participate in two tea party events this week in South Carolina: A town hall luncheon hosted by the Myrtle Beach Tea Party and an evening appearance for the Charleston Tea Party's speaker series "The Leaders of America." Both events are scheduled for Wednesday as part of Santorum's latest early-state swing - on Monday and Tuesday, he's visiting New Hampshire for several previously announced events.POPPING AT THE RNC - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. PRESIDENT: The Republican National Committee is launching a new website to celebrate the 100th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's birth, with plans to feature tributes to Reagan from GOP leaders throughout the week. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus offers the first message on the site this morning, calling Reagan's " iconic brand of unrelenting optimism, heartfelt patriotism, and principled conservatism ... an inspiration to both myself and our Republican Party." "Ronald Reagan is someone I looked up to when I was young and he's one of the reasons why I got into politics," Priebus says. "In a time of tremendous challenges from the threat posed by global terrorism to our struggling economy, Ronald Reagan's core principles of peace through strength and limited government have never rung more true." See the full page at http://www.gop.com/Reagan  and check out Priebus's video message here: http://bit.ly/gLNOKP  

THE OTHER CHAIRMAN - KAINE RAISES THE CURTAIN: The former Virginia governor-turned-DNC chairman sat for an extended profile in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and gave a sneak peek at the case Democrats hope to make for President Obama's reelection in 2012. The paper: "In 2008, Obama ran on change. In 2012, Kaine said, Obama will be able to run on the changes he has made - to health care, the Iraq war, the auto industry, the economy, the anti-gay military policy of 'don't ask, don't tell.' 'We said we were going to do something, and we actually did it,' he says. 'That's not necessarily what people are used to.'" http://bit.ly/dIIIIM  

LAST NIGHT IN ANKENY: Tim Pawlenty waved off suggestions during a visit to Iowa that his fellow Minnesotan, Rep. Michele Bachmann, could present an obstacle to him if both of them run for president. The Des Moines Register: "'Congresswoman Bachmann is someone I have a cordial and positive relationship with,' Pawlenty said ... 'I don't know if she's going to run for president. If she does run, she'll be a strong candidate.' ... Pawlenty said voters will judge the candidates on their experience, not their home addresses." More from the scene: "Pawlenty signed more than 50 copies of the book, 'Courage to Stand,' over the course of the hour, but about 100 turned out for the event, including a number of current and former state legislators and Republican activists." http://bit.ly/dNTsUU  

(STRAW) POLL OF THE DAY - MITCH-MENTUM: Washington state Republicans gave Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels an impressive win in a weekend straw poll at the annual Roanoke Conference. Thirty-one percent of straw poll participants wanted Daniels to be the GOP nominee in 2012, compared with 14 percent for Mitt Romney, 13 percent for Tim Pawlenty, 9 percent for Chris Christie and 8 percent for John Thune. All other candidates were below 5 percent. Straw polls aren't necessarily predictive of anything - particularly Republican straw polls in liberal-leaning, non-early primary states. But the result shows Daniels still has an out-of-state following, despite his obvious reluctance to entertain a 2012 bid. Scott Stanzel has the full results: http://bit.ly/fezmQ1  

SPEAKING OF - MORE COLD WATER: Daniels again tamped down any speculation that he's preparing a campaign, even though the Wall Street Journal reports "several of his loyalists have been quietly testing the waters for him. They include Republican lobbyist Charlie Black; Al Hubbard, an economic policy advisor to President George Bush; and Tom Bell, a board member at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In an interview, Mr. Daniels said he wasn't actively 'feeling anyone out' for help in raising money, though it was possible that 'some folks are out there free-lancing' on his behalf." http://on.wsj.com/g8Gh3T  

NO, SERIOUSLY: Ex-Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, who left office in 1992, told the News Star that he's making preparations for a possible presidential bid that could be launched within the next month. From the paper: "Roemer talks in an interview as if his mind is already made up. He's discussed it with his family and board members of his Business First Bank and even has lined up a vice president to run the bank in his absence while campaigning. 'I'm getting ready to make my case with the American people,' he said ... In Washington, 'nobody who's elected is going to talk for the common man, for the small businessman, for the soldier or sailor," he said. 'They talk for Wall Street.'" http://bit.ly/fMhqVu  

HEAD-SNAP - HATCH STILL IN TROUBLE: Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch may still be targeted for defeat in 2012 by the Tea Party Express, even though the group's top strategist said Hatch's support for Ronald Reagan in 1976 would inoculate him from a challenge. The Salt Lake Tribune: "Sal Russo's remarks were later 'clarified' by the group's chairwoman, Amy Kremer, who said that while Hatch is a 'very kind and decent man ... he has also been a politician who has at times gone with the will of the entrenched political establishment instead of the will of the voters of his state.'" MORE - THE BIGGER PROBLEM: "Not to be outdone, the Club for Growth political action committee -- which spent a bunch of money and effort to oust former Sen. Bob Bennett -- came out Friday to say Hatch is still a potential target next year. Citing Russo's comments that Hatch was instrumental in getting votes for President Ronald Reagan in 1976, Club President Chris Chocola noted, 'a lot can change in 35 years.'" http://bit.ly/fUVhkm  

SEMBLER HEARTS HASNER: Former RNC finance chairman Mel Sembler is talking up Florida state Rep. Adam Hasner as a potential challenger to Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, predicting that "he'll be a fabulous candidate" in an interview with Adam Smith of the St. Petersburg Times. Sembler: "I've followed his career and have a lot of respect for him. He's got a lot of friends and will have a lot of support." Hasner, a former state House majority leader, is among a field of potential candidates that includes state Senate President Mike Haridopolos, former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, Rep. Connie Mack and others. http://bit.ly/hW5DhS  

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Don't retreat, stand tall." - Sarah Palin, deploying a less-risky version of her infamous line during a speech to the Safari Club International in Reno http://bit.ly/ftZ5lI  

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