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


THE 2012 SCORE - IS PENCE OUT? If the former House leader and grassroots conservative favorite wants to run for president in 2012, his schedule isn't showing it. Howey Politics scoops: "U.S. Rep. Mike Pence is scheduling Republican Lincoln Days Dinner all over Indiana, Howey Politics Indiana has learned. It is the best clue yet that he is preparing to launch a 2012 Indiana gubernatorial campaign, as opposed to seeking the presidency. 'He is scheduling larger counties,' a Republican source told HPI on Monday. 'If he is running for President, it would be an interesting and novel strategy. We could call it the Win Indiana Strategy!'" Speculation about Pence's future has increasingly focused on a gubernatorial campaign, after Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh and Republican Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman announced they wouldn't run for their parties' nominations. That's helped make the governor's mansion a much more attainable goal for Pence than winning the GOP presidential nomination and beating a potentially formidable incumbent president. http://bit.ly/cNH4ma


SPEAKING OF WHICH - DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK: President Barack Obama is back at the 50 percent mark in Gallup's tracking poll of his job approval rating - the first time he's crossed that threshold since June. Gallup: "Obama's current approval rating is 80% among Democrats, 47% among independents, and 16% among Republicans in the three most recent days of polling. The figures for independents and Republicans are slightly higher than what Gallup has measured for Obama in recent weeks." http://bit.ly/fJ70qD


As the games begin in Mississippi, Michael Steele gets some breathing room (sort of) and Doug Rubin draws a bead on Scott Brown, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.


POPPING TODAY - MANCHIN'S NEW GUN: Former DGA communications director Emily Bittner is joining the staff of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, taking over his DC communications office as the Democrat begins to navigate the two-year term he won in November's special election. Before her work for Democratic governors last year, Bittner was communications director of the Arizona Democratic Party and a reporter at the Arizona Republic. Manchin must compete for a full six-year term in 2012 and does not yet have a declared Republican opponent.


EARLY-STATE SIREN - SUNUNU'S PICK: Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu has endorsed Juliana Bergeron to succeed him at the helm of the state GOP. Bergeron heads the Cheshire County Republican Committee and is facing off with tea party-aligned opponent Jack Kimball in the leadership race. The Concord Monitor: "Sununu said Bergeron has been involved in Republican politics for over 40 years and is committed to the party's fiscally and socially conservative platform. 'She raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities in New Hampshire, and has a fantastic reputation in the New Hampshire business community,' Sununu said." And POLITICO's David Catanese: "Sununu mainly kept his comments focused on praising Bergeron, chair of Cheshire County's GOP, but also lamented some of the criticism being launched by supporters of Kimball, who he called a friend. 'I've just been a little disappointed by the divisive comments being made by some of Jack's supporters. I think that does Jack a disservice.'" http://bit.ly/gRdE9V and http://politi.co/fCkSUH


SET YOUR DVR - ABC's TerryMoran tweeted Monday: "Off to Minnesota tomorrow to interview now ex-Gov. Tim Pawlenty.What do you all think of him as a presidential candidate?What would you ask?" http://bit.ly/foJMBU


*** A message from the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities: We agree with President Obama's goal of retaking the world lead in college graduation rates by 2020. America's private sector schools stand ready to do our part. Visit http://myeducationchoice.org today.THE RNC RACE - DUNCAN CALLS IT: Former RNC head Mike Duncan told Kentucky's cn|2 network that Michael Steele is all but finished in the current RNC chairman's contest. Said Duncan: "I think probably Chairman Steele is out of the race ... There have been so many people who have announced - particularly from his core group of supporters- that they won't support him again, that he probably falls by the wayside after the first or second ballot." More from Ryan Alessi: "Duncan said in the interview he hasn't decided which candidate he'll back when the 168 voting members elect the next chairman at the Republican Party's winter meetings, which begin Jan. 12. To win the chairmanship, a candidate needs to get 85 votes. But he spoke highly of the two women candidates: Maria Cino ... and Ann Wagner." http://bit.ly/fKiN40


STEELE'S OPPONENTS AGREE: POLITICO's Jonathan Martin and your Morning Score correspondent report that yesterday's RNC debate was a low-key affair - with Steele's opponents repeatedly pulling their punches. "Steele is still technically the incumbent, but with only about 20 commitments on the 168-member committee, his opponents plainly saw little to be gained by the political equivalent of bayoneting the corpse. Most, in fact, seemed to be more mindful of what could be gained by not appearing overly tough on Steele - the votes of his core of supporters and some of his sympathizers who are on the fence. 'I'm not running against anyone,' said Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus at the end of the 90-minute forum." Priebus picked up a new endorsement after the debate from West Virginia GOP Chairman Mike Stuart, a former Saul Anuzis supporter. http://politi.co/dEVqPE


PLAY OF THE GAME - Steele defended his controversial decision to send cash to U.S. territories - which do not have votes in Congress - in a postgame interview with the Weekly Standard: "It could help [to spend] $15,000 in Colorado. It could help $15,000 in Guam. It could help $15,000 in Puerto Rico. In the Virgin Islands ... There is no choice. If you can help, you help. If it is in Guam or Florida, you do what is necessary for a Republican to win in those places." http://bit.ly/eLKE0V


AND THEY'RE OFF - IN MISSISSIPPI: Three candidates officially jumped into the race for governor of Mississippi Monday, launching the only open-seat gubernatorial race of 2011. AP: "Republicans Phil Bryant and Dave Dennis and Democrat Bill Luckett have been campaigning for governor for months. On Monday, the first work day of the 2011 election year, they ramped up their efforts. Bryant, the one-term lieutenant governor, made several appearances around the state to announce what everyone already knows - that he's a candidate for the state's top job. Luckett, a Clarksdale attorney and business partner of actor Morgan Freeman, filed his qualifying papers at the Democratic Party headquarters in Jackson. ... 'I will be there to veto tax increases,' Bryant told about 300 people in an unheated furniture warehouse in Pearl." http://bit.ly/g96nJh


THE WAY TO WIN - MASS. EDITION: Doug Rubin, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's top political adviser, argued in a Boston Herald op-ed this week that Sen. Scott Brown is headed for a Martha Coakley-like unraveling in 2012. Rubin, who helped steer Patrick's comeback reelection win this year, lays out what it'll take to beat the most popular politician in his state: "It will be very hard for any Democrat to raise more money or be a bigger 'celebrity' than Brown, but it's early enough for a determined candidate to spend the next 18 months building a strong organization and laying out a compelling vision for the future. The media will focus on fund-raising, but the real test may be which Democratic candidate is willing to start early, building broad grass-roots support to take advantage of the new social networking world we live in and compete with millions in TV ads from the Brown campaign." http://bit.ly/fuQiqX


HEATHER WILSON RETURNS? Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman could face a tough race in 2012 if the right Republican steps up to challenge him - and Roll Call reports that moderate former Rep. Heather Wilson is thinking about it. Kyle Trygstad: "'I am considering running for the Senate, as well as other opportunities,' Wilson [said] ... Bingaman has yet to announce whether he will seek a sixth term. First elected in 1982 after a term as state attorney general, Bingaman will be 69 by Election Day in 2012. A spokeswoman said Bingaman always likes to take his time when deciding whether to run. Wilson just completed work heading the transition team for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez." http://bit.ly/e8eCnR


NEARBY - THE CAUSE ENDURES: Clark County Commissioner and defeated Nevada gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid may run for his state's soon-to-be created fourth house seat in 2012. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports: "Reid won't confirm or deny the speculation, though he makes it clear his passion for public service hasn't waned. 'I always want to be involved in working for the public,' Reid said. 'It's who I am.' ... Running for Congress would be a natural progression for Reid, who chaired the County Commission, the state's most powerful political body, [Republican strategist Chuck] Muth said. It also would position Reid to pursue a U.S. Senate seat after his father, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, finishes his six-year term, Muth said." http://bit.ly/fEyxDs


ONE-TERMER WATCH - "David Rivera discloses $137,000 in loans for slots campaign" - Miami Herald: "Incoming Congressman David Rivera has admitted receiving $137,000 in undisclosed loans from a company co-owned by his mother -- a company now under criminal investigation over secret payments from the Flagler Dog Track during its campaign to bring slot machines to Miami-Dade pari-mutuels. ... Rivera, a Republican from Miami, had never previously disclosed any loans from Millennium in financial statements filed as a congressional candidate, or during his prior tenure in the Florida legislature. http://bit.ly/hjme5y


AND IN CHICAGO - CHICO'S MOVE - From the Tribune: "Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico announced today that he's raised more than $2.5 million for his campaign. Chico's campaign released his fundraising total weeks before he's required to do so in a move to portray himself as a top challenger to former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel ... The Chico campaign said the vast majority of the money raised came from the Chicago area, a not-so-subtle dig at Emanuel, who has held fundraisers in California, including a high-profile one hosted by his brother, Ari, a Hollywood agent. Emanuel entered the campaign with about $1 million ... An Emanuel spokesman said the campaign would not release details of how much Emanuel raised until campaign reports are due to the Illinois State Board of Elections on Jan. 20." http://bit.ly/eyeONI


CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Because I don't want to." - Former Sen. and current Chicago mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun, on why she won't release her tax returns before the Feb. 22 election http://bit.ly/f1uM84


*** A message from the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities: We agree with President Obama's goal of retaking the world lead in college graduation rates by 2020. America's private sector colleges and universities stand ready to do our part. The millions of students in our schools deserve the same resources and encouragement as those students in other higher education institutions. The sooner collaborative work among all sectors begins, the sooner the dreams of hopeful students can become realities, and our country can meet the demands of the 21st century. Visit http://myeducationchoice.org and tell Congress, "It's my education. My job. My choice."

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