ANDERSON — When the 111th U.S. Congress convenes in January, Rep. Mike Pence could well be at the forefront of the Republican party.
Pence, the Republican representative from Indiana’s Sixth District, is running unopposed for the position of the House Republican Conference, the third highest post for the minority party.
“I was very much drafted to serve in this role,” Pence said. “It gives me a wide latitude to provide the kind of leadership that I’ve always provided.
“In my case the fact that people recruited me to come in and bring my unique brand of what I hope is a thoughtful conservatism to this position will give me a little bit broader stage to continue to advocate the same things I’ve always advocated for on behalf of the American people,” Pence said.
As conference chairman, Pence would lead fellow House Republicans in deciding strategy, confirming committee positions and influencing Republican policy, said Michael Frank, associate professor of political science at Anderson University.
“He would be exercising a lot of influence about Republican strategy,” Frank said. “Anybody who chairs a committee obviously is well respected by the people of that committee but also would be able to wield some influence over the people of the committee.
“He would be a key player in that group of people, along with the minority leader and minority whip,” Frank said.
House Republicans will vote on their party leadership on Wednesday, Pence said. Florida Rep. Adam Putnam recently stepped down from the post.
After the Nov. 4 election, he was asked to run for conference chairman by current party leaders, including House Minority Leader John Boehner.
“The people that urged me to step forward did so because they have seen in me willingness to stand firm,” said Pence, who has been known to adhere to his conservative values when it goes against his own party.
“We need to bring our party back to those common sense values, fiscal discipline and moral values. I don’t think we need to come up with a new set of ideas to stand for; there’s nothing wrong with the Republican party’s commitment to a strong national defense, to limited government, to strong values, but the Republican party had lost credibility on those issues.”
Pence said voters around the country had been discouraged with their Republican leaders not matching their rhetoric to their voting records, but that the majority of voters still embraced a common sense conservative outlook.
“Most people still embrace the kind of ideals and values the Republican party has always represented,” he said. “If we reflect those ideas consistently, the people will rally back to our side.”
Any House Republican could theoretically run for the position of conference chairman, Frank said, but it would take a well-respected party member to get enough votes from his or her peers to be elected to the post.
“I think (Pence) has a really good shot,” Frank said.
Pence said the position would give him a unique opportunity to shape national policy and he would urge colleagues to vote according to what they believe as a party.
“When the Obama administration comes forward with something we agree with, we want to be their strongest ally on Capitol Hill,” Pence said. “If it’s something we oppose, we want to be the most vigorous opponent that we can be.”
Local News
11:39 p.m.: Pence looks to lead Conference
- Local News
-
-
Gunman robs Old National Bank
A gunman escaped with money from a southside Anderson bank Tuesday afternoon.
-
Anderson High School's graduation rates increase
AHS has tied for 14th place out of the top 20 for the most improvement in non-waiver graduation rates for the 2010-11 school year. “We were just thrilled,” AHS Principal Lucinda McCord said.
-
Consolidation of emergency dispatch approved
The Madison County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday taking over 911 police and fire dispatch duties for Elwood and Alexandria.
-
City looking for new restaurant for Grandview
The Anderson Parks and Recreation Board has decided to seek a new tenant for the vacant restaurant at Grandview Golf Course.
-
Super Bowl had positive fiscal effect, most agree
Many businesses and organizations in Anderson are still trying to calculate the financial numbers showing how the Super Bowl affected them. But even without all the hard figures available, they agree that it was a positive economic impact on the city.
-
Overnight snow creates a few problems
An overnight dusting of snow forced police to close the Eisenhower Bridge on east Eighth Street Wednesday morning because of icing, but the bridge is now open.
-
Poll question for Wednesday, Feb. 8
Vote daily in The Herald Bulletin poll. Today's poll question can be found at the bottom of the homepage on the right side.
-
Assessor loses appeal against city
A lot can happen in four years. Just ask County Assessor Larry Davis, who lost his appeal against the City of Anderson on Friday.
-
What's Where: Feb. 8
Local meetings and activities are planned Wednesday.
-
Statehouse action resumes after Super Bowl break
After a timeout to accommodate out-of-town Super Bowl visitors, the Indiana General Assembly is back in session to tackle legislation that had been bottlenecked by a contentious labor bill.
- More Local News Headlines
-
