Monday's retirement announcement by Republican stalwart Sen. Trent Lott has gotten Sen. Richard Burr to thinking: Should he join the GOP's Senate leadership team?

If the dominoes fall correctly, Burr could get the chance.

Burr, a freshman senator, will seek the chairmanship of the policy-oriented Republican conference if the job becomes open. It is the No. 3 position in the GOP hierarchy.

The current conference leader, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, may seek Lott's current position as minority whip.

Lott, of Mississippi, said Monday he will retire from the Senate by the end of the year -- a move that, by inside-the-Beltway standards, shakes things up a bit in the Republican ranks.

Lott now is the minority whip, an elected position and No. 2 in GOP leadership in the Senate. Should Kyl get the whip job, Burr plans to seek the conference chairmanship.

The role would give him a wonky platform for his policy interests.

As chairman, Burr would help shape the Republicans' talking points on whatever issues of the day are consuming the Senate.

He would face competition for the job, though.

Other names being circulated: Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas.

Hutchison now is chairwoman of the Republican policy committee, the GOP's No. 4 position in the Senate.

And Alexander lost to Lott for the whip job by one vote a year ago.

More vigor for newsletter

State Rep. Thom Tillis has souped up his e-mail newsletter.

In his regular life, the Huntersville Republican is a management consultant for IBM, so he was a little disappointed at the options for a standard legislative newsletter when he was elected last year.

Tillis shopped around, and now uses a program called Constant Contact. It tracks how many people open the e-mail and how many of them clicked to links for more information on certain subjects.

He has learned that about 36 percent of his contacts read the newsletter, and he has a pretty good sense of what topics interest them. It also tracks which e-mail addresses blocked the newsletter, so he can narrow his list.

Tillis said he's surprised the software isn't more popular among his colleagues.

"The problem is how long people are in office," he said. "They're not necessarily inclined to make the investment in technology the way you might in business."

Magazine likes Dole's odds

Congressional Quarterly Weekly says the odds are on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole getting re-elected.

The staff of the Washington political magazine said this week that overall Republicans face a "daunting year" in the Senate, but they put North Carolina in the "Republican favored" category.

"Democrats view Dole as vulnerable in her second-term bid because of her ties to Bush, her support for the war and her stint chairing the Senate GOP's disastrous 2006 campaign effort. But the party's two preferred challengers, Gov. Michael F. Easley and Rep. Brad Miller, both demurred. After saying she would not run, however, powerful state Sen. Kay Hagan announced last month that she is in the race."

The magazine does not mention Chapel Hill investment banker Jim Neal, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination.

Romney's wife to visit

Ann Romney is coming to Raleigh.

The wife of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will hold a fundraiser at the North Ridge Country Club on Thursday. Tickets are $250 or $500 with a photo opportunity.

The sponsors are Romney's state coordinator, Hill Carrow, as well as Blanche Bacon, Melanie and Ed Broyhill, Carolyn Grant, Jeanne Smoot, Marilyn and John Taggart, Lisa Wardle and Desiree and Ron Willis.

Ann Romney is a longtime volunteer with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Right to Play, an international nonprofit that uses sports to help children in disadvantaged regions.

At an Aug. 30 fundraiser in Raleigh, Mitt Romney raised at least $23,000.