Tag Archives: Mitch Daniels

Pence Making Moves

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN-6) is a man on the move. Deciding not to pursue the House leadership track upon the GOP assuming the majority (he was the Republican Conference Chairman but didn’t seek re-election or run for any other leadership post), Mr. Pence has been circumspect as to his next political move. While it’s pretty clear he won’t seek re-election to the House in 2012, he doesn’t quell speculation that he is a potential presidential contender or candidate for governor of Indiana. Pence is highly regarded by the national conservative/Tea Party movement, thus giving him a base from which to run for president. The Hoosier State’s incumbent chief executive, Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), is ineligible to seek a third term, meaning an open seat campaign next year.

Pence isn’t saying much publicly about his plans, but his actions appear to reveal his eventual direction. He recently let it be known that he will be attending Republican Lincoln Day Dinners throughout Indiana in late January and all through February, suggesting his focus is statewide and not national. Furthermore, his gubernatorial prospects just became brighter. Republican Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman announced she won’t run for governor in 2012, as did outgoing Senator and former Gov. Evan Bayh (D). Watch for a Pence for governor campaign to take shape soon.
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Preemptive Redistricting Moves

Next Tuesday, the Census Bureau will release the 2010 state population figures, and we will know then just how many congressional seats each state will possess for the next decade.

Even before we see the numbers, office holders are beginning to make contingency plans in case their state re-map places them in an adverse re-election position. One such man may be Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN-2). The congressman was originally elected in 2006, unseating then-incumbent Rep. Chris Chocola (R), and won again easily two years later. This past November, however, produced a much different electoral result as Donnelly barely escaped defeat, beating Republican Jackie Walorski 48-47%, on a margin of just 2,538 votes.

With Republicans controlling the redistricting pen in 2011, Donnelly already is publicly speculating about his future options should the GOP place him in unfriendly political territory. He is letting party leaders know that he would seriously consider a race for governor — the seat will be open because Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) is term-limited — if he deems his re-election prospects to be poor. Many believe that attempting to draw a 7R-2D Hoosier State map is a stretch, hence Donnelly’s rhetoric could be part of a strategic preemptive strike designed to keep his northern Indiana seat intact. This is a great example of the political “game within the game.” Expect many more plays of this type in the coming weeks.

Early Poll Shows Obama in 2012 Dogfight

As we know from this past election, two years is a lifetime in modern-day American electoral politics but a new Quinnipiac University poll does indicate weakness in a proposed President Obama re-election drive. The national survey, conducted November 8-15 of 2,424 registered voters throughout the United States shows the President below 50% against all tested Republicans and having only a nine-point lead over a candidate whom 81% of the people could not identify.

Ex-Massachusetts Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney fared the best against the President in the national poll, leading him 45-44%. Former Arkansas Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee trailed Mr. Obama 44-46%; ex-Alaska Governor and ’08 Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin finds herself in a 40-48% deficit situation; and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is behind only 36-45%. It is Daniels whom over 80% of the sampled individuals could not identify.

The poll is of little significance because the election is two years away and will be decided by voters within individual states as opposed to a simple national vote. While national public opinion polls certainly provide clues as to how voters view the presidential candidates, which is helpful in gauging a campaign’s progress, it does not translate into predicting whether a challenger can successfully obtain the 270 Electoral Votes needed to win the White House.

Best news for Obama in the poll: Democrats want to see the President run for re-election by better than a 2:1 spread (64:27%). Worst news for him: by a margin of 43:49% the aggregate sampling universe does not feel he deserves re-election.