Presidential races

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie brushed off a poll that showed him leading a pack of hypothetical GOP 2012 contenders.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney resigned from his spot on Marriott's board, a move seen as a step toward running for president.

The Boston Globe reported that Romney had stepped down from the hotel chain's board of directors, mirroring a move he made four years ago before his run for office.

Romney's seen as likely to jump into the presidential race, but not until later on in the cycle. By contrast, he formed his exploratory committee on Jan. 3, 2007 when he pursued the nomination in 2008.

The former Massachusetts governor is currently on a trip abroad — to Afghanistan, Jordan and Israel — to bone up on his foreign policy credentials.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) is in New Hampshire on Tuesday to kick off a series of house parties hosted by former Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne's Granite Oath PAC. 

Santorum is the first potential 2012 presidential hopeful to participate in the series, which takes place in Lamontagne's home and is aimed at giving small groups of Republicans in the state access to potential candidates in a more intimate setting.    

"We intend to set the standard in New Hampshire for who we think is the most conservative candidate who can win," Lamontagne told The Hill last month.  

Lamontagne said he fully expects his PAC will endorse a candidate ahead of the New Hampshire primary — backing that could carry some serious weight given Lamontagne's new higher profile with the state's GOP base.

The Republican waged a strong primary challenge to Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) this past fall, coming up just short despite being heavily outspent.

This will be the eighth visit to the state for Santorum, who moved closer to a run earlier this month when he announced the hiring of his first staffer in New Hampshire.

In a recent interview with The Hill, Santorum said he was encouraged by visits to the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire and that he's in no rush to jump into the race ahead of other potential 2012 hopefuls.

"Obviously I wouldn't be thinking about doing this if I wasn't very encouraged by the reaction I'm getting on the ground," Santorum said. "There's a lot to weigh as we move forward. We'll see how the money comes in, see how the grassroots support is. This really is a legitimate testing of the waters for us right now."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) doesn't sound too happy about the prospect of a 2012 presidential bid from Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).

"Well, it's a free country," Pawlenty told Politics Daily when asked what he thought of Bachmann's presidential trial balloon. "Anyone can run that's over the age of 35."

The Minnesota governor, who's about to embark on a book tour and has been laying the groundwork for a 2012 bid of his own for months, said he has "respect" for Bachmann and described his relationship with her as "cordial and positive." 

A Bachmann bid would likely divert attention from contenders like Pawlenty, who hold less of a natural appeal to the GOP base and Tea Party activists. 

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) knew her upcoming trip to Iowa would create speculation she was edging toward a presidential run.

Bachmann will be the keynote speaker at an Iowans for Tax Relief PAC fundraiser Jan. 21 in Des Moines. News of her trip ignited speculation she was testing the waters for a presidential bid by visiting the first state to hold a nominating contest in 2012. 

Bachmann didn't seem surprised by the reaction.

"I'm headed to Iowa," she told The Ballot Box. "I think that's why" there's the speculation. 

Her staff wouldn't rule out the possibility.

"Nothing is off the table," Bachmann chief of staff Andy Parrish told ABC News. "The congresswoman is excited about her first trip to Iowa this year."



Bachmann, who founded the House Tea Party Caucus, finished the year with close to $2 million in her campaign coffers after raising some $13 million on her way to winning a third term in 2010. That has prompted speculation she might challenge Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

But any bid for statewide office in Democratic-leaning Minnesota would be risky because Bachmann has based her career on courting controversy and staking out staunchly conservative positions. 

Whether or not she mounts a campaign for the GOP presidential nod, Indiana-based Republican strategist Kurt Luidhardt said it's beneficial for Bachmann to raise her national profile.

"People think she can run. Not every member of Congress is having that same kind of attention," Luidhardt said. 

--Updated at 5:50 p.m.

Press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday he will be leaving the White House in early February. He will help guide President Obama's reelection campaign as an outside adviser.

The New York Times reports:

[Gibbs] said he has no intention of establishing a political consulting or lobbying business, but he intends to work from the same downtown Washington office where David Plouffe has spent the last two years. Mr. Plouffe, who was Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, will move to the White House and work as a senior adviser to the president.

The departure of senior adviser David Axelrod, meanwhile, is looming. Axelrod is reportedly set to return to Chicago to help with the president's bid for a second term. Other staff departures are anticipated in the period before Obama's State of the Union address on Jan. 25.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum said of Mitt Romney, "It's hard to see a path for him given the 'Obamacare' issue."

With many political observers increasingly convinced that Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is now favoring a run for Indiana governor in 2012, at least one influential conservative voice would rather see him make a run for president.

RedState's Erick Erickson wrote Monday that other than former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Pence is the only rumored 2012 hopeful that truly excites him and potentially the only one that the conservative grassroots could fully unite behind.

"Right now I see plenty of candidates the establishment really likes, but very few that the grassroots could agree on across the board," wrote Erickson. "Certainly Romney fans like Romney. Pawlenty fans like Pawlenty, Huckabee fans like Huckabee. But largely those fans of the individual candidates then hate the other guy."

In making the argument for Pence, Erickson said the congressman not only bridges the gap between the establishment and the grassroots, he's "in the comfort zone of both." 

With the recent news that Indiana's Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman (R) won't run for governor in 2012, Pence has a clear path to the Republican nomination. 

It also looks increasingly unlikely that Democrats will have a top-tier candidate in the race. Outgoing Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) have both passed on the contest.

The Hill's new blogger, Christian Heinze of GOP 12, points out an interview Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) gave to a local paper about a possible presidential run — with Daniels noting the idea scared his family "to death."

Daniels told the Tribune Star that his wife and four daughters are worried about the intense media scrutiny that can descend upon a candidate’s family.

“It scares them to death,” Daniels said. “And it should.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was clear Sunday on what he wants in a presidential nominee: "the most electable conservative."