Indiana Rep. Mike Pence’s announcement yesterday that he will run for the chairmanship of the House Republican Conference is good news for conservatives, for House Republicans and for Republicans as a whole. As the party seeks to regain credibility with a public that identifies with its values, but distrusts its competence and dedication to those values, the emergence of a young generation of committed, intelligent and articulate conservative leaders like Pence is a signal to all that conservatives are prepared to step forward and lead.
What’s more, the fact that House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) is endorsing Pence for a leadership position is a sign that at long last, the existing Republican leadership in Congress is beginning to get the message that it will take the inclusion of conservatives like Pence and others to convince conservative voters that a newly energized and principled GOP deserves their support.
Pence has played a leadership role over the last few years, even among House conservatives, and his hand and theirs will be strengthened with him in an official leadership role. He has been a leading spokesman for conservative principles since the day he was elected to Congress. He has been willing to oppose his fellow Republicans when they’ve been wrong; he voted against No Child Left Behind and the Medicare Prescription Drug legislation forced on the Republican Congress by the Bush administration and he’s been the leader in the House in mobilizing conservatives to oppose the Democratic threat to use the old, discredited “Fairness Doctrine” to shut down conservative talk radio.
He deserves the support of his colleagues and the thanks of every conservative in the country for stepping forward at this crucial time.