Pence’s decision

The last House member to run successfully for president was James Garfield in 1880. Other lawmakers who have launched presidential bids more recently include: Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.).

None of them came close to becoming president or even winning the nomination of their party. In several cases, their levels of support might have been mistaken for a rounding error.

Still, there is some buzz about a Pence presidential bid.

Here is why.

In September, he won the presidential straw poll at the Values Voter Summit in Washington. Then, prominent conservatives, including Tea Party activist and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), publicly urged the Indiana congressman to jump into the White House race.

{mosads}In a public letter, Armey and others wrote: “Now is the time for you, as one of this generation’s leaders, to take your rightful place in the pantheon of American leadership, to cast aside personal considerations, and defend this God-blessed nation that has given us, and the world, so much.”

And there is a “Draft Pence” for president movement on the Internet.

Without wishing any disrespect to Pence, it is worth considering the possibility that one reason for all this interest is that there is no clear front-runner to challenge President Obama.

Still, Pence has qualities that make him attractive to a sizable portion of the electorate. Unlike some of the other 2012 contenders, Pence has a consistent conservative record on both fiscal and social matters.

He battled both President George W. Bush and Republican congressional leaders over spending, most notably on the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill.

The six-term legislator, a former radio talk show host, comes across well on television, which is a key asset for any White House candidate.

But the last time Pence faced a challenging election, he miscalculated badly. He announced a bid for House minority leader after the 2006 midterms, and was trounced by now-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), 168-27.

Most political analysts expect Pence to run for governor, where he would be the early favorite to replace Mitch Daniels, who is term-limited and mulling a presidential run of his own.

At 51, Pence will have other chances to run for commander in chief, though the political opportunity may never be as ripe.

Clearly, the conventional move, and the one far more likely to prove successful, is for Pence to seek the governor’s mansion. But his record in Congress illustrates that he likes to take the road less traveled.