U.S. Edition
Washington (CNN) - Mitt Romney has scheduled a conference call for next week with some of the biggest donors from his last presidential run, CNN has learned, the latest in a series of under-the-radar moves by the former Massachusetts governor as he sets the table for a second White House bid in 2012.
Spencer Zwick, who served as Romney's national finance director in 2008 and remains a close adviser to the Republican hopeful, emailed key contributors Friday inviting them to join the February 4 call. FULL POST
Washington (CNN) - Indiana Rep. Mike Pence's decision not to run for president came after a serious lobbying effort by the Republican Governors Association, a GOP source close to the party organization told CNN Thursday.
Pence, who finally revealed his plans to the Indianapolis Star on Thursday after a lengthy cat and mouse game, has not said for certain that he will seek the Indiana governorship, though Hoosier State Republicans widely expect him to do so. FULL POST
Washington (CNN) – Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told a room of South Carolina Republicans Wednesday that if he decides to seek the GOP presidential nomination, it will be a "serious" campaign.
"If I get in this thing, it's going to be a serious effort," Barbour told a crowd of roughly 30 Republican movers and shakers in Spartanburg, according to longtime GOP fundraiser Barry Wynn, who was in the room. FULL POST
Washington (CNN) – News that South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint will travel to Iowa on March 26 to address a conservative forum organized by Rep. Steve King is sparking another round of chatter that DeMint might launch a dark horse bid for the White House in 2012.
The Republican gadfly has been adamant in denying such intentions for more than a year – just Wednesday, he gave CNN's Wolf Blitzer a flat "No" when asked if he plans to seek his party's presidential nomination. FULL POST
Washington (CNN) – Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will return to South Carolina on Wednesday for a pair of closed-door meetings with influential Republicans, another sign that he is leaning toward seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.
A source close to the governor and several South Carolina Republicans confirmed the visit, which was reported by Politico on Monday night. FULL POST
Concord, New Hampshire (CNN) - Tim Pawlenty's advisers reacted with pleasure at their boss's third place showing in last weekend's 2012 presidential straw poll conducted by the New Hampshire Republican Party.
It's a sign, they say, that the former Minnesota governor's frequent visits and organizational efforts in the first-in-the-nation primary state are paying some early dividends among GOP activists. FULL POST
Derry, New Hampshire (CNN) - Mitt Romney claimed victory Saturday in a 2012 presidential straw poll conducted by the New Hampshire Republican Party, more than one year before the former Massachusetts governor is expected to be on a real ballot in the state's all-important presidential primary.
Romney captured 35 percent of the vote, which surveyed nearly 300 members of the New Hampshire State Republican Committee who gathered in Derry for the organization's annual meeting. He was followed by Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who garnered 11 percent of the vote, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty won 8 percent. FULL POST
Derry, New Hampshire (CNN) - New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary is more than a year away, but Granite State Republican activists will be polled Saturday on which candidate they would like to see become their party's nominee in 2012.
The straw poll organizers - WMUR-TV and ABC News – will survey the 493 members of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee at the group's annual meeting in Derry, though not every committee member is expected to attend. Results are expected sometime in the afternoon. FULL POST
(CNN) - Newly-elected Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is enlisting three of the GOP's top moneymen to help the beleaguered organization repair its relationships with some of the party's biggest donors.
A source close to the committee told CNN that Priebus is set to announce a new RNC "Transition Finance Team" to be chaired by Sam Fox, Al Hoffman and Ron Weiser – three elite figures in the Republican donor community. FULL POST
Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) - New Hampshire Republicans had a banner year in 2010, electing a new U.S. Senator and two House members while taking back both houses of the state legislature.
But a rancorous fight for control of the party between establishment Republicans and insurgent newcomers aligned with the Tea Party is casting a pall over those gains and could impact the state's all-important presidential primary in 2012. FULL POST