An Indiana Republican lawmaker is introducing legislation that would allow Governor Mike Pence to run for both the governor’s mansion and the White House in 2016.
State senator Mike Delph told the Indianapolis Star he thought it was in the state’s interest to minimize Pence’s obstacles and to have a sitting governor in the national conversation. Pence has not said whether he supports the legislation, and is expected to wait until after the 2015 legislative session ends in April to decide whether he will run for president.
Pence isn’t the only potential GOP presidential candidate who want to run for reelection and the presidency at the same time. Kentucky state law prevents Republican senator Rand Paul from appearing on the ballot for two federal offices — he is up for reelection to his Senate seat in 2016 – and Democrats in Kentucky’s state house have successfully blocked legislation that would change the policy.
Pence could have a much easier path: Republicans control the Indiana legislature and the state has made similar exceptions in the past. In advance of the 1988 election, state lawmakers passed legislation that would have allowed then-senator Dick Lugar to run for reelection and appear on the presidential ticket at the same time.
While Hoosiers will not know of Pence’s intentions until the spring, his visits to early-primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire last fall suggest he’s seriously thinking about the presidency.