Former Ambassador Thomas Melady urged Republican National Committee members to back Chairman Michael Steele for reelection because of his grassroots appeal.

"His long commitment to 'bottoms up' political leadership has been an important factor in the landslide Republican victories of November 2010," Melady wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Times. "How fortunate it is as we prepare for the 2012 elections, when our goal is to elect a Republican as president, we have as head of the party a man with such popular appeal."

Reports have Steele running second behind Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus in the race for the RNC chairmanship. Looking to make up ground, Steele has recently sought to reassure committee members that he'll be able to meet the RNC's fundraising requirements in what's expected to be an expensive campaign cycle. But some observers, such as GOP consultant Mike Murphy, continue to dismiss his chances of reelection.

The chairmanship vote is set for Jan. 14.

(h/t RNC Watch)

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) warned the reaction to the Tucson shooting could dampen free speech.  

"We got to be really careful here, because if you start saying: 'You can say this, you can't say that, you can use that tone, you can't use that tone.' Then pretty soon, you know, you start to discourage, maybe chill, intimidate," he said during an appearance on the "Daily Show" Wednesday.

"I even caught myself today, I was talking a little bit about hockey fights and public policy and I thought, 'Oh, maybe I shouldn't bring that up now.'"

Host Jon Stewart and Pawlenty then engage in a 20-minute debate about the different reactions by the conservative movement to the Bush and Obama administrations and the role of government.

When it ended, Stewart said: "You know what's crazy, I'm not sure that you and I really disagree, do we?"

"Yeah," Pawlenty responded dryly.

Freshman Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, has offered his services for security training for members and staff.

North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk (R) said Wednesday that he's weighing a run against Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) in 2012. 

The Republican told supporters in an e-mail, obtained by the AP, that he has formed an exploratory committee and has already received encouragement and pledges of financial support from GOP activists ahead of 2012.  

Kalk is a former Marine who was elected to the state's Public Service Commission in 2008. 

Conrad, who is the only Democrat left in North Dakota's delegation after the 2010 midterm elections, has not yet announced his plans for 2012, and there's speculation he could opt to retire. Conrad is the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

After Democrat Byron Dorgan announced his retirement from the Senate last year, Republican Gov. John Hoeven easily won an open-seat contest to succeed him. Republican Rick Berg also knocked off Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) this past November to capture the state's at-large House seat.

Even without a top-tier candidate in the race, solid victories in 2010 are a big reason Republicans in the state think the seat will be competitive even if Conrad decides to run again.  

Outside groups have already started spending on ads in the state ahead of 2012. The American Future Fund began running radio spots earlier this month hitting Conrad over the size of the deficit. The Democratic group Commonsense Ten responded with its own spots touting Conrad as a "deficit hawk."

The senator said he's in the process of putting together a campaign team and jump-starting his fundraising operation.

Rick Santorum will make his eighth trip to South Carolina on Saturday as the Pennsylvania Republican continues his courtship of conservatives while exploring a potential presidential bid.

Santorum will address an anti-abortion rally in Columbia on Saturday before traveling to Aiken to speak at a county GOP lunch on Monday, according to release. He'll also meet with local officials during the trip.

The former senator has moved to capture the attention of socially conservative Republicans in early primary states while his 2012 potential rivals for their support remain on the sidelines. 

Ahead of his trip to South Carolina, Santorum was in New Hampshire, where on Tuesday he launched a series of house parties hosted by former Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne's Granite Oath PAC.

—Shane D'Aprile contributed to this post

Gov. Chris Christie's (R-N.J.) approval numbers continue to grow, a Farleigh Dickson University PublicMind poll found Tuesday.

The poll shows 51 percent approve of the governor, while 37 percent disapprove. It is a slight increase from a November poll, which showed a 49 percent approval rating for Christie, compared to a 39 percent disapproval rating.

Despite his general popularity, Christie's approval is divided down partisan lines. The poll found 67 percent of Republicans feel New Jersey is going in the "right direction" under Christie's leadership, while 63 percent of Democrats think it on the "wrong track." Moreover, the poll found 41 percent of Republicans think Christie is doing a good job as governor while about the same percentage of Republicans think he is doing an "only fair" job.

Peter Woolley, the director of the poll, attributed Christie's approval gains to the fact that voters' taxes did not increase this year.

“Voters are focused on finances,” Woolley said. "Voters didn’t get a tax hike at the state level as they did in past crises. The key is whether, or how much, they might get in local property tax hikes later this year or next.”

The poll came out a day before Christie went on a media tour to defend a trip he and his family took to Florida during a blizzard in New Jersey.

Christie is one of a handful of governors who has made the 2012 presidential nomination shortlist. Other Republican governors include Haley Barbour (Miss.), former Gov. Sarah Palin (Alaska.), former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Minn.).

A rematch between Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and New Jersey state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R) in 2012 would be a competitive one, according to a new poll out Wednesday. 

Numbers from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling show Menendez with just a slight edge over Kean in a hypothetical 2012 general election match up. Menendez leads 41 percent to 39 percent. 

In 2006, Menendez easily beat back a challenge from Kean, defeating the Republican by a nine-point margin in what was generally a lousy national environment for Republicans. 

But Menendez's approval numbers are now below 40 percent. The poll found just 37 percent approve of the job the Democrat is doing, while 38 percent disapprove. Independent voters in the state also give Menendez low marks — just 32 percent approve. 

It leaves the door open for a Republican to make a real run at Menendez, but the party needs to find a candidate. Political insiders in the state say Kean, the son of a popular former governor, is mulling another bid ahead of 2012, but Republicans appear to have few other options. 

PPP also found Menendez with a solid lead over another two rumored GOP contenders — TV host Lou Dobbs and the state's newly elected Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. 

Menendez leads Dobbs 47 percent to 35 percent, while the Democrat holds an even large lead over Guadagno — 45 percent to 30 percent. 

Pollster Tom Jensen points out that while Menendez's numbers suggest he's in real trouble in 2012, "New Jersey is not like most places. [Former Gov.] Jon Corzine persistently had a disapproval number in the upper 50s, far greater than Menendez's 38%, and trailed by double digits in most polls up until the last two or three months of the campaign in 2009." 

Corzine ended up losing to Republican Chris Christie by just four points.

Republicans could have their most diverse field of presidential candidates to choose from next year.

Herman Cain, a prominent African-American businessman, has formed a presidential exploratory committee and is considering launching a bid for the GOP nod.

Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, isn't a household name like some of the other possible contenders, but he's not intimidated by the competition.

"People who say that Herman Cain has no chance of winning the nomination for the Republican Party or win the in presidency — I simply say, 'Thank you,'" he told CNN. "Because all my life I have been in situations where I wasn't supposed to become VP of Pillsbury, I wasn't supposed to be able to turn Godfather's Pizza around. I wasn't supposed to succeed in climbing the corporate ladder in corporate America. So to the people who say I don't have a chance I say, 'Thank you.' Because that inspires me."

Cain has been considering a bid for a few months.

"I would represent that unconventional, non-establishment candidate that a lot of people are looking for," Cain, a conservative black Republican, told The Ballot Box last month.

The conservative talk-radio host is a bonafide Tea Party rock star who's a regular at their events and serves as a commentator on Fox News. He’s also visited the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

In addition to Cain, the 2012 GOP presidential field might include former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a staunch advocate for legalizing marijuana, and Fred Karger, an openly gay retired political consultant from California.

(h/t GOP 12)

-- Shane D'Aprile contributed to this post.