Pence for President

Resilient, Principled, and the New Face of Conservatism for 2016?

By Dale Glading | The Save Jersey Blog

I really admire Paul Ryan and I’m a big fan of Marco Rubio. Like many conservatives, I find Rand Paul refreshingly candid. I can even stomach – no pun intended – Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal and Jeb Bush.

And don’t forget John Kasich of Ohio, John Thune of South Dakota and Scott Walker of Wisconsin. All top notch guys who would make a good – if not, great – president.

But my early choice for the Republican nomination for president in 2016 is a relative unknown: Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana.

Pence served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 6th District from January 2001 to January 2013. During that time, he was named one of America’s top ten legislators by Esquire Magazine and elected conference chairman – the party’s third highest position – by his Republican colleagues in the House.

Last year, Pence ran for governor of the Hoosier state when Mitch Daniels was forced to retire due to term limits. He ran an aggressive but fair campaign and won the three-way contest over his Democrat and Libertarian opponents.

But what I like best about Pence is his values.

Last year, I visited his congressional website where Pence described himself as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican – in that order.”

That’s my kind of guy. Simply put, Mike Pence has his priorities straight.

Another thing I like about Pence is that when he first ran for Congress in 1988, he lost. He ran again two years later – and lost again.

There’s something about running for office and losing that humbles a man and makes him better able to serve effectively when he eventually wins. Just ask Abe Lincoln, who lost multiple elections – and experienced both personal and professional setbacks – before finally winning the presidency.

Instead of making excuses for losing or letting those temporary defeats derail him, Pence went to work as president of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation before launching a successful career as a statewide radio show host.

I like a guy who knows how to get back off the mat.

I also like a guy who keeps his marriage vows. Mike and Karen Pence have been married for 27 years and have been blessed with three children.

Perhaps the liberal Washington Post said it best, calling Pence “a new face on conservatism” and writing that he has “delivered conservative opinions with the even tones and polite demeanor of his Midwest upbringing.”

Sounds like a winner to me.

All aboard the Pence for President band wagon. The line forms behind me.