CAMBRIDGE, Md. - With two of his younger House colleagues mulling bids, Rep. John Larson (D), the Democratic caucus chairman, is ruling out a run for the Senate in Connecticut.

“I’m not getting into the race. That’s a definite no,” Larson told The Hill during the Democratic retreat in Maryland.

Larson, 61 and in his seventh term, is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Rep. Chris Murphy (D) has already declared his candidacy for the Senate seat left open by Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s retirement, and Rep. Joe Courtney has said he is “seriously considering” the race.

Larson made a failed bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1994, and he acknowledged he has considered running for Senate.

“I’ve given a lot of thought about it, and every time I think about it I think about how much I enjoy working in the House of Representatives,” Larson said.

He said both Murphy and Courtney would be “incredible senators,” though he won’t be making an endorsement. A former Connecticut secretary of state, Susan Bysiewicz, is running, and Ted Kennedy Jr., son of the late senator, is said to be considering the race.

“I’m sure the field might get very crowded,” Larson said.

The Senate vacancy is the second in as many years in Connecticut, after Sen. Chris Dodd (D) announced a year ago he would not seek re-election. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) was immediately declared Dodd’s heir apparent, and he went on to win the race. This time around, however, there is no clear frontrunner.

In the wake of his losing the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee to Reince Priebus, Saul Anuzis said Saturday that he is considering a run against Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich) in 2012.

“I haven’t ruled anything out,” Anuzis said in an appearance on local WWJ-TV's “Michigan Matters” broadcast Saturday.

Anuzis also lost out to Michael Steele in a run to be RNC chairman in 2009.

“Reince was a safe choice. He was a good chairman and good fundraiser. Wisconsin had a great year,” he said of the RNC contest.

Anuzis, former chairman of Michigan’s Republican Party, may face former Gov. John Engler, the former head of the National Association of Manufacturers, or former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) or Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in a primary contest.

Stabenow is seen as especially vulnerable in a state that has borne the brunt of the recession in terms of unemployment. A Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll out Jan. 6 found that only 37 percent approve of Stabenow's job performance. Stabenow serves as the chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and may find crafting the 2012 Farm Bill and battling for re-election a tall order.

The Tea Party favorite said she was there to "lay out the very important issues Iowans will be grappling with."

The former House Speaker has been contacting top Republicans in his native Georgia to tell them of his intention to run and to gauge their support for his White House bid.

Newt Gingrich has told several prominent Republicans in the state that he's already scouted office space for a campaign headquarters in Buckhead, an Atlanta neighborhood, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Gingrich is now a Virginia resident, but expressed his "fondness" for Atlanta during a visit there on Thursday.

"My offices are here. My grandchildren are here. I'm here regularly," Gingrich told reporters. "I helped create the modern Republican Party in Georgia starting in 1960. I have a certain fondness for being back in Atlanta."

As he canvasses support, Gingrich has met with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) and state House Speaker David Ralston, called Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) and asked Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) for a "significant amount" of his time for a meeting, according to the AJC.

Georgia's primary is tentatively slated for February 2012, putting it outside the window of early states. But having a base of support there would certainly help boost Gingrich's bid for the GOP nomination. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Georgia primary in 2008.

Count Texas Rep. Michael McCaul (R) among the Republicans who could jump into an already crowded race for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-Texas) Senate seat in 2012. 

Just elected to his fourth term in the House, McCaul is among the Republicans mulling a run next year, according to a knowledgeable GOP source in Texas.

The congressman's office wouldn't confirm that he was looking at the race, but in a statement to The Hill, McCaul didn't rule it out. 

"My priority is to ensure that the state of Texas and the office of the United States Senate are served well by the best-qualified candidate," McCaul said in a statement.  

Four Republicans have already jumped into the race, and more are seriously considering a run, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R). Many observers think Dewhurst is the man to beat on the Republican side if he jumps in, as most expect he will.

A state Republican fundraiser in President Obama's hometown will feature eight potential 2012 presidential candidates.
 
The event, a fundraiser for the Illinois Republican Party in celebration of former President Ronald Reagan's birthday 100 years ago, will feature  Governor Haley Barbor (R-Miss.), Ambassador John Bolton, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.), Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). The fundraiser is scheduled for February 5.

Although none of the featured guests have formally announced a presidential run yet, many have either hinted that they are planning a run or outrightly said they are considering it. A few, like Gingrich, have set a date for when he would have a decision on a run.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark) are two other Republicans who have shown interest in a 2012 presidnetial run. Neither Romney or Huckabee will be featured at the fundraiser.

President Obama announced yesterday that he will headquarter his reelection campaign in his hometown Chicago.

DCCC Chairman Steve Israel unveiled the campaign slogan Friday, saying his job is to win the chamber back for Democrats.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) sent another warning over the looming debt ceiling vote Friday in an e-mail to supporters.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is in Iowa Friday for meetings with top Republicans and a speech to a key advocacy group.

The visit has prompted speculation she's mulling a presidential bid.

Ahead of her speech Friday night, Bachmann is set to meet with Matt Strawn, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, at his office, a party official confirmed.

The Des Moines Register reported she also will meet with Gov. Terry Branstad (R) and Tea Party activists. Bachmann founded the House Tea Party Caucus, which she heads.

Her main event is the keynote speech to an Iowans for Tax Relief PAC fundraiser at the downtown Des Moines Marriott. Tickets to the "Watchdog Reception" were $25 per person. A spokeswoman for the group said the crowd of some 200 is expecting to hear Bachmann address tax and spending issues. A large press contingent -- 50 media credentials were issued -- will cover the event, said the spokeswoman.

Bachmann was coy with the Register about her 2012 aspirations.

"Whether I am there as a candidate or whether I am there as someone who wants to contribute to the conversation for 2012, the people who are part of the caucus system are really there for the right reason," Bachmann said. "And I really want to meet with these people because they want to turn our country in a positive direction."

In an earlier exchange with The Ballot Box, Bachmann didn't seem surprised by the flurry of speculation her visit set off. 

"I'm headed to Iowa," she said. "I think that's why" there's speculation.

Bachmann was born and raised in Iowa. She now represents a suburban Minneapolis district.

--Updated at 12:38 p.m.