Sitting on the Pence
Although there are 36 hours to go before the 2010 midterm elections are over and we still have the 2011 elections to get through, it’s never too late to start talking about 2012. To be more specific I’m talking about Indiana Congressman Mike Pence who is being talked about as a potential candidate for Governor or President.
If you ask him directly, Pence says he’s focused on getting Republicans elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the Statehouse. However, the speculation continues to grow about what Pence will do, or start doing, after Tuesday.
If Pence decides to pursue residency at 46th and Meridian he may find the road has a few more obstacles than some might think. First, all signs indicate Lt. Governor Becky Skillman is going to run for Governor regardless of whoever is in the race. And there is nothing like a strong primary challenge to weaken an opponent in a general election. While Pence may be the more dynamic candidate, you can’t underestimate Skillman’s work ethic and the fact she’s spent the past six years being very visible in a lot of parts of Indiana that don’t get a lot of attention.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, while Pence could win the primary, a number of Republicans privately express concerns about whether he could have enough broad support to win in 2012. They question his lack of a business background as well as the fact he might be too socially conservative for some more urban parts of the state, especially when the economy and unemployment are still likely to be big issues.
And then of course there’s the question about who would be a better candidate against Evan Bayh should he decide to run for Governor again. But that’s another blog post for another day.
