He hasn’t held executive office. He isn’t a paid Fox News contributor. He hasn’t written a best-seller or starred in a reality show.
So is there any reason Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.) should be considered a viable 2012 presidential contender?
According to supporters, there’s a huge one: authenticity. Pence identifies himself as a fiscal and social conservative and has the voting record to prove it. Elected in 2000, when compassionate conservatism was trendy, he has never been afraid to play the Grinch, voting against big-spending initiatives such as No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, and TARP. Pence has displayed the same kind of consistency on social issues, establishing a solidly pro-life record over the last decade.
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Pence’s advocacy hasn’t gone unnoticed. He spoke at the Tea Party’s 9/12 rally in Washington, D.C., last year and again this year, and won the straw poll of 2012 presidential candidates at the Family Research Council’s Value Voters Summit this year, beating out notables like Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Sarah Palin. When Pence resigned from his leadership position as chairman of the House Republican Conference following the election, there was immediate buzz that he might be considering a presidential run. Others speculated that he might run for governor of Indiana, where term limits mandate that current governor Mitch Daniels step down in 2012.
“The congressman hasn’t made a decision at this point,” says Pence spokesman Matt Lloyd. “He’s humbled by the encouragement he’s received back in Indiana and around the country, and he’s going to take the coming weeks to seek counsel and prayerfully consider it.”
If Pence decides to run for president, he faces steep obstacles. The last president elected directly from the House of Representatives was James Garfield in 1880. And while President Obama’s rapid ascent may signal that voters don’t demand much political experience from their presidents, even Obama had been a senator for two years before launching his campaign.
On the flip side, Pence may benefit from being a new candidate, which could appeal to GOP voters who don’t want the 2012 presidential field to be 2008 redux. “When I travel around the country,” says Gary Bauer, president of the social-conservative organization American Values, “conservative audiences seem to feel that they would love to see someone new emerge who had the sort of Reaganesque qualities that are so effective in American politics. I can imagine easily a scenario where Mike Pence could get traction and end up emerging as the candidate.”
Pence, however, has also shown signs of interest in running for governor. “He did a lot of Lincoln Day dinners that weren’t exactly in his congressional district, so that tells you he’s maybe at least thinking hard about the governorship,” says Mike McDaniel, former chairman of the Indiana GOP, referring to the dinners held annually by each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
If Pence does opt to run for governor, he will most likely face a competitive primary, with Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman having already said she’s “seriously considering” running. If Pence wins the primary, his opponent may well be Sen. Evan Bayh, who was Indiana’s governor for two terms before serving in the U.S. Senate for twelve years. Bayh is not currently Indiana’s favorite Democrat, thanks to his last-minute decision not to run for re-election, a decision that many Democrats believe ensured that a Republican would win, as Dan Coats in fact did. But if Bayh decides to try to patch up his relations with state Democrats and run, he’ll be likely to mount a formidable campaign, although his more liberal Senate votes may prove to be an Achilles’ heel.
Pence is one politician who doesn't fake sincerity; his is the real thing as shown in his House voting record. Obama's so-called rhetorical skills often fall flat, while Pence always hits the right note.
This is maybe 6th or 7th "excellent candidate" NRO proposed in the last 6 months; Bolton, Barbur, Daniels, Christie, Pawlenty...Anyone except You Know Who is a good, excellent, terrific candidate. Even the quasi-liberals like Romney are much better than the "cancer".
"And while President Obama’s rapid ascent may signal that voters don’t demand much political experience from their presidents, even Obama had been a senator for two years before launching his campaign."
But, this obviously does not apply to You Know Whom, because she was dismissed just two days ago by the NRO on the grounds that she lacked the political and governing experience, which was an enormous liability for a Republican nominee, back then...
After listening to a few of his speeches, all I can say is "WOW! This guy is good." He does have a Reaganesque quality about him and he has the real-deal conservative creds that even the most extreme right-winger could love. He has excellent cadence when speaking although he needs to polish up his deliver a bit (sometimes he sounds a bit too somber). But all-in-all, he's got the stuff.
While I'd much rather have Marco Rubio serve out a full term in the Senate (maybe even two!), a Pence/Rubio ticket would OBLITERATE Obama/Biden in 2012. A good combo might be John Thune and Mike Pence, but I'm not sure who would make a better top-ticket...oh well, that's what primaries are for.
And this article hits the nail on the head, what the GOP needs to do is clear away the old guys (Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich, etc.) and allow the excellent talent in the back-benches to come forward. Also, forget Palin, too divisive and, after her latest Couric comment, not presidential material in my opinion.
Thank you NRO for featuring Pence! You guys helped Rubio when he needed it, I hope you guys seriously consider Pence. Romney is not a conservative. Huck will not appeal to fiscal cons. Daniels won't appeal to social cons. Pawlenty hasn't caught on despite being pushed hard, and Thune backs earmarks. This is the guy who can unite fiscal and social cons, establishment, tea party, in the Buckley tradition.
The problem for the GOP in 2012 is that they do not have an established well-known candidate to run against the experiment in the unknown that Obama represented that went bad. In 1980, Reagan was well established and a known quantity.
The American people are fiscally conservative, but nowhere as socially conservative as Pence. The Tea Party is about fiscal sanity. I find the whole conception of "social conservatives" to be a oxymoronic concept. Those that support this "agenda" are not very "social" nor "conservative."
People want the government out of their lives. Telling people what to to do is not small government pro-defense libertarianism, which at its core is what those in the Tea Party support. No one looks at abortion as a joyful event, but a strong majority want it legal for the first trimester.
It is about fiscal sanity. That is the cause. Take your eye off the ball and we lose.
Sitting here today, Obama chances for re-election are about at least 60% because he is the incumbent. The idiocy that is RINO helped ensure Obama's election. Fall back into that trap, and we will be further on the Road to Serfdom.
Sort of depends on the meaning of going 'straight from the House to the White House', I'd say. Garfield had already been elected to the Senate for six months at the time of his nomination; and had been a Senator-elect for Ohio for well over a year at the time of his Presidential inauguration. So I'd argue that if Pence were to be elected he would in fact be the first person to go 'straight' from the House to the White House. He would certainly be the first President who had never previously been elected to any state-wide post.
Sort of depends on the meaning of going 'straight from the House to the White House', I'd say. Garfield had already been elected to the Senate for six months at the time of his nomination; and had been a Senator-elect for Ohio for well over a year at the time of his Presidential inauguration. So I'd argue that if Pence were to be elected he would in fact be the first person to go 'straight' from the House to the White House. He would certainly be the first President who had never previously been elected to any state-wide post.
Pence should run for Governor in 2012, and then take down Lugar in the Senate in 2014. He would make an excellent VP to President Rubio in 2020. He would still only be about 69 in 2028 when he runs for President.
If this came to pass, he would be the first person ever to be elected Representative, Governor, Senator, VP and President.
The fact Pence has not been elected statewide is not a problem: just ask Newt. He was never elected statewide in GA and his history in the House Leadership was rocky at best. Pence has been a major player for years, starting with the Republican Study Committee. He was number three in the house, and he has had a major media presence for years, unlike Hunter or Tancredo. If Newt is a top four candidate, Pence has every reason to run and to win.
Pence is very good but can he win the general elections or even the primaries?
Folks, remember the Buckley rule, vote for the conservative who can win.
Er, sorry to spoil everyone's day but wasn't JFK a Congressman? Spence is not that far away from history. He's a great American with excellent conservative credentials. Obama spent no time in the Senate; Spence has plenty of experience in the House.
I really don't want another president without prior executive experience (military, private, public sector - responsible for something durn it!). Pence needs to be Governor 4-8 years then go for it.
Executive experience is highly desirable. I wish there were a better candidate with prior executive experience. But I don't see one. With respect to all other criteria, Mike Pence is the only candidate I see out there with no negatives. I think he'll rise to the top.
Comments on frushford:
"No one looks at abortion as a joyful event, but a strong majority want it legal for the first trimester."
Poll results depend on the wording of the poll, but I think everyone can agree that the pro-life position is on the ascendancy.
"I find the whole conception of 'social conservatives' to be a oxymoronic concept. Those that support this 'agenda' are not very 'social' nor 'conservative.'"
Don't get hung up on labels, but consider the principles that underlie them. According to your definition, I'm sure I would enthusiastically abjure "conservatism." According to mine, I'm happy to see that Pence lines up on all points.
I don't go for unsubstantiated claims. Do you have any data supporting the notion that social conservatives aren't really conservative? I and most social conservatives that I know are also fiscal conservatives, so I don't really know where you're coming up with your statement. Also, regarding abortion -- it's tough to argue that conservatives should give up on this. The science is pretty obvious to anyone who cares to pay attention and not use a politically generated definition as to when human life begins. With that (and the fact that there have been 52 million plus abortions in this country since Roe) it's tough to argue that there is a more characteristically conservative cause out there. After all, all other rights and freedoms stem from the right to life ("among these are life ...").
We need a governor as the GOP candidate. We should learn from Obama that executive experience is critical. We should also learn from this last election that someone who focuses on conservative fiscal issues is the right candidate to attract independents. Someone who campaigns on social issues will get hammered by the press and will lose many independents. They won't lose conservatives. I'm not saying that we need a pro-choice candidate. I'm saying we need a candidate who has never made the social issues a priority and say that he/she doesn't consider them important until the fiscal mess is cleaned up.
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