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.”
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11:39 p.m.: Pence looks to lead Conference
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