Pence 2010? 2012? [Robert Costa]
Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Conference, tells National Review Online that he will sit down with the National Republican Senatorial Committee today to discuss a possible challenge to Sen. Evan Bayh (D., Ind.). "Frankly, I didn't learn anything from Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts that I didn't already know," says Pence. "It has been clear for months that the American people are fed up with business as usual in Washington." For now, Pence says he has an "open mind" about a potential run and "will continue to not rule anything out."
Chris Chocola, the president of the Club for Growth (and former Indiana congressman), is doing what he can to encourage a Pence candidacy. In a statement today, he says that "Tuesday's stunning upset in Massachusetts confirms that Indiana is a winnable race for a principled advocate of economic freedom and limited government." Bayh, Chocola adds, "falsely portrays himself as a moderate, but on the defining economic issues of the last several years, he has voted with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama to grow government, explode the deficit, and pass on debt to our children. Mike Pence can beat Evan Bayh in November, and I join pro-growth conservatives in Indiana and around the country in hoping that he does."
Not everyone is convinced that Pence is serious about running against Bayh. CNN reports:
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council who speaks with Pence frequently, said the Republican "has many options before him," but doubted that a Senate bid is one of them. "I think he is doing well where he is, and I think he is positioned to move, but I just don't know if the Senate is where will be," Perkins said in a phone interview with CNN. Pointing to his extensive political travels and efforts to elect conservatives, Perkins said Pence "is not just a congressman from Indiana."
Swing State Project weighs in on why the NRSC might want Pence:
One other point: ex-Rep. John Hostettler is already in the race for the GOP, along with a few other odds and ends (maybe most notably state Sen. Marlin Stutzman). I'm sure, though, the NRSC would like an upgrade from the often-embarrassing Hostettler, but given Hostettler's previous track record of uncooperativeness with the national party, he seems unlikely to step aside in a primary. Pence could find himself stepping into an unenviable situation that replicates a lot of other Republican Senate primaries: he'd be running as the "establishment" candidate against a movement conservative outsider even further to his right.
Others see Pence as a potential dark-horse candidate for president in 2012. Before he thinks about stumping in Manchester, Pence will need to make a decision about whether to mount a Senate campaign by February 19, Indiana's filing deadline. And if Pence does run, for Senate, he'll have to get moving on fundraising. Bayh has over $12 million in the bank while Pence has less than $500,000 in his coffers.
Pence 2010? 2012? - Robert Costa - The Corner on National Review Online (21 January 2010)
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