By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, aburns@politico.com)

2012 SCOOP - JMART REPORTS: "A group of conservatives led by former Kansas Rep. Jim Ryun plans to start an independent expenditure campaign aimed at getting Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) to run for president. America's President Committee will begin a signature-gathering effort this week to encourage Pence to get in the presidential race and their website, www.theconservativechampion.org, will go live Monday. Pence has gotten buzz on the right in part because he's seen as a candidate who could unify the three traditional constituencies within the GOP -- social conservatives, economic conservatives and foreign policy conservatives. Pence has said he will decide on whether he's running for president later this month. ...

"In addition to Ryun, the group is being run by Ralph Benko, a former Reagan official who has been involved in the Tea Party movement, and being advised by the conservative PR group CRC 'Mike Pence extraordinarily exemplifies the optimistic, pro-growth, pro-job creation Reagan-Kemp wing of the GOP,' said Benko. 'Grassroots conservatives, Republicans, the tea [arty and populists are looking for a man or woman of principle who can champion and unite the newly energized and engaged citizenry.' It has been over 100 years since the last House member was elected president, though, and Pence would face considerable difficulties on the fundraising front should he decide to run."

BREAKING OVERNIGHT - ON THE GROUND - The Florida Times-Union's Abel Harding: "Florida's junior U.S. Senator watched the Afghan National Army perform routines in a weekend trip to the war-torn country. ... [Marco] Rubio joined Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire ... All watched 'a situational training exercise in which a company-sized ANA element staged a dismounted ambush against another ANA element posing as the enemy for demonstration purposes.'" http://bit.ly/dV2jIs

As change comes to the Republican National Committee, Robin Hayes finds a next act and the race to succeed Michael Bloomberg begins, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

MONDAY STAKES - The era of Michael Steele is over and the legislative business of the 112th Congress is about to begin in earnest. This is Morning Score's list of the pols who have the most to gain or lose in the week ahead:

(1) RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who has to start raising money, like, yesterday in order to get the committee out of debt - all the while upping his profile with other national GOP leaders and the news media; (2) Mike Pence, who's entering the second-to-last week before the end-of-January deadline he set for deciding on a presidential run; (3) Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose honeymoon from tough questions about Arizona, the debt ceiling and other issues facing the new Congress may end with his return from Afghanistan and the Middle East; (4) Texas Republicans not named David Dewhurst, who can't afford to wait too long if they want to run for Senate in a GOP primary that's expected to favor the wealthy and well-known lieutenant governor; (5) Every Republican who might plausibly be asked to give the State of the Union response, who will have to decide whether the risk of a Bobby Jindal/Tim Kaine moment is worth the potential payoff of a prime-time platform to rebut the president.

REFORMER WITH RESULTS - ON SATURDAY, POLITICO's Jake Sherman reported: "[RNC Chairman Reince] Priebus told lawmakers at the House Republican Retreat in Baltimore Saturday that he would fly to Tampa, Fla., early next week to secure the resignations of the officials former RNC Chairman Michael Steele had running the Committee on Arrangements. ... Priebus told lawmakers he plans to start anew on the convention and will put his own aides and allies in charge, according to a source in the room." AND ON SUNDAY, Priebus announced in a statement: "I have discontinued the employment of the convention liaison and the employees of the Committee on Arrangements, effective immediately. I look forward to bringing on top-notch staff and planning a convention that all Republicans, especially our 2012 Presidential nominee, can be proud of." http://politi.co/eRMsGn

THE 2012 SCORE - DOING IT HIS WAY: No potential 2012 candidate - except Sarah Palin - can drive will-they-or-won't-they speculation like Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. But while the D.C. betting odds have begun to tilt against a Daniels presidential bid, Indiana GOP Chairman and Daniels adviser Eric Holcomb says the oddsmakers simply don't know what they're talking about. "This is much ado about nothing," Holcomb told POLITICO. "One thing you can count on is Mitch Daniels to say what he means and mean what he says. So, we'll all continue to focus on the work now at hand. Hoosier voters sent new majorities to our legislature to make sure we keep Indiana moving forward and Mitch has been leading that charge. The old 'to run or not to run' question is in an act still to come. The only 'insider' information that matters is what's inside the Governor's head. Stay tuned."

SET YOUR DVR - HOURS AWAY ON 'HANNITY' - "Monday, 9p ET: Governor Sarah Palin sits down with Sean in an exclusive interview." The New York Times says the interview is "scheduled to run through several commercial breaks." http://nyti.ms/fQrKMY

SETTING HIS OWN BAR: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty acknowledged on Fox Sunday that a candidate with his profile has to go big in the early states in order to have a shot at the GOP nomination. The Star-Tribune: "Pawlenty argued it was still early - pointing out that the 2008 winner Mike Huckabee began at 2 percent - but he also said: 'For somebody like me, you have to do very well, win or do very well, in Iowa.' Wallace spent most of Sunday's interview challenging Pawlenty on his fiscal record during his eight years as governor. On raising the cigarette tax 75 cents per pack to end the state's government shutdown: 'Governor, didn't you blink?' Wallace said. 'We had a compromise, and I picked the one thing that was least harmful to economic growth of the options we had in front of us with a Democratic legislature,' Pawlenty responded." http://bit.ly/i99xAn

AND - THE NEXT FIGHT: Pawlenty told the Wall Street Journal that Republicans should block an increase in the U.S. debt ceiling, and the paper relays that the ex-governor "said Congress should pass legislation that would put interest and debt payments ahead of other federal spending and allow the federal government to pay its creditors as tax revenue flows in. ...'This debate about how we're going to restructure spending is inevitable. My view is, let's have it now,' Mr. Pawlenty said in the Journal interview. 'Let's call their bluff.'" http://on.wsj.com/fusmPm

CHRISTIE'S EXCUSE - "I am not arrogant enough to believe that after one year as governor of New Jersey and seven years as U.S. Attorney that I am ready to be president," he said on Fox. http://bit.ly/eXYhrp

TODAY - Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is in South Carolina today, visiting the Aiken Republican Club. Said Club president Tony Coffaro: "It's the largest luncheon we've had, with 205 people, and we're sold out." http://bit.ly/evg76A

BOB BENNETT WATCH: Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, already staring down the possibility of a primary from the right based on his stances on immigration, judges and more, told Bloomberg TV that it's time to bring back the assault weapons ban. Or, failing that, to restrict the sale of high-capacity ammunition clips. Lugar: "I believe it should be [reinstated], but I recognize the fact that the politics domestically in our country with regard to this are on a different track altogether. It appears that ammunition has been purchased from stores all over the country subsequent to this by many Americans feeling that somehow the Congress might take action that would somehow limit the amount of ammunition or the types of ammunition people could have." http://bit.ly/h9n6nd

MUSICAL CHAIRS - IN FLORIDA - The Pensacola News Journal reports: "Former state legislator Dave Bitner won an easy victory Saturday in an unusually bitter five-way fight for chairmanship of the Florida Republican Party. ... Bitner said the 2012 campaigns for president and the U.S. Senate start now. ... Bitner, 62, served in the state House, representing Charlotte County from 1992-2000. He became a lobbyist, living on a farm in Jefferson County, but stopped his lobbying work to campaign full time for the chairmanship." In North Carolina - the Charlotte Observer reports on the Robin Hayes comeback: "Republicans chose former Congressman Robin Hayes on Saturday to help lead their effort to end the Democrats' 20-year lease on the governor's mansion next year. Hayes, 65, of Concord easily turned back challenges from elements of the tea party ...'We are marching off to win for the people of North Carolina,' Hayes told the state Republican executive committee meeting at Raleigh's Brownstone Hotel after his victory." http://bit.ly/hUnuod and http://bit.ly/horJ9M

2013 BEGINS - IN NEW YORK CITY - At least six Democrats appear to be in the hunt for what's expected to be an open-seat mayoral election in 2013. The Wall Street Journal: "Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer ... raised nearly $400,000 in the six-month fund-raising period that ended Tuesday ... [Rep. and 2005 mayoral candidate Anthony] Weiner has roughly $4 million cash on hand. In the past six months, there has been no activity with his account. ... City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is expected to run for mayor, raised $121,000 in the past six months, an aide confirmed. ... Former City Comptroller William Thompson, the 2009 Democratic nominee, is the only one who has officially declared his intention to run in 2013. ... In an interview with the Journal last month, [Comptroller John Liu] made clear he's contemplating a potential mayoral bid in 2013. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, another potential mayoral candidate, hit the fund-raising trail late last year." http://on.wsj.com/gXOAlH

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's been reported - in fact I've had a conversation at one point - with the congressman to whom you sent a dead fish. And you're reported in the New York Post as telling your workers to, 'Take the Tampons out and get to work.'" - Chicago mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun, trying to make at least one attack line stick against Rahm Emanuel http://bit.ly/i0wfCc

Go to Morning Score Now >> http://www.politico.com/morningscore



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