MIKE PENCE
Reclaiming the Republican Party
and the American Dream
by
Chris Dickson
by Alex Isenstadt
POLITICO
Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, the House GOP Conference chairman who has established a national conservative following, is intensifying his visibility on the campaign trail.
Pence held a Wednesday morning fundraiser for GOP attorney Todd Young, who is mounting a challenge to Democratic Rep. Baron Hill. It was one of a string of events Pence is holding for party contenders. Earlier this month, Pence held fundraisers for Indiana Republicans Jackie Walorski, Larry Buschon, Marlin Stutzman and Todd Rokita.
The Indiana congressman is preparing to take his campaign on the road. During September, he will headline events for a roster of GOP challengers in targeted races in the Rust Belt region. Pence is scheduled to make stops for Steve Chabot in Ohio’s 1st District, Jim Renacci in Ohio’s 16th District, Tom Ganley in Ohio’s 13th District, Keith Rothfus in Pennsylvania’s 4th District, Mike Kelly in Pennsylvania’s 3rd District, David McKinley in West Virginia’s 1st District and Andy Harris in Maryland’s 1st District.
Pence, a five-term congressman from eastern Indiana, has been widely mentioned as a future candidate for governor and has even been rumored as a potential 2012 presidential prospect. Earlier this year, he turned down an opportunity to run for the state’s vacant Senate seat.
While the Indiana Republican takes on an increasingly active role in the campaign’s final weeks, he is also padding the National Republican Congressional Committee’s treasury. On Wednesday, Pence cut the NRCC a $100,000 check, bringing his total in raised and contributed funds to the committee to more than $1 million.
