Mike Pence and John Shadegg, two strong fiscal conservatives, have picked up some support in their newly-launched campaign for House leadership. John Hawkins and Robert Bluey -- my blogging partner at the CNN event -- both report that Tom Tancredo and Steve King have decided to back Pence, at least, as House Minority Leader. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, at least concerning Tancredo, who criticized Pence earlier on his support for a moderate normalization program similar to that in the Senate. King sent out a press release, which stated in part:

Republicans have lost seats in Congress because we needed more fiscal discipline, lacked clarity on the Global War on Terror, and were not aggressive enough on our fiscal and social agenda. We now need an articulate and committed Minority Leader who can be the most effective spokesman for our agenda. Mike Pence is the best communicator in Congress and among the most committed. ...

I have full confidence that Mike will lead Republicans in the right direction, and promote the principles of limited government, fiscal discipline and personal responsibility. That is why he has my full support for House Minority Leader.

John Boehner has not done a bad job in his tenure replacing Tom DeLay as Majority Leader, and with Denny Hastert explicitly removing himself from GOP leadership (before getting the boot from the caucus), one might expect him to continue in that leadership post as the Republicans move to the minority. However, Boehner and Majority Whip Roy Blunt have come to be seen by some Republicans as part of the leadership that created the problems that led to their defeat. The urge to clean house will overcome any good work done by Boehner, and while that's unfair, it's also not a bad move.

House Republicans need to demonstrate a commitment to certain principles ahead of policies in order to win the trust back from their constituents. Chief among those should be a commitment to reform and support of limited government. Pence has demonstrated all of those qualities, as well as having a reputation for clean politics. Republicans should strongly consider having Pence lead them during the next two-year period, in which they will be rethinking their direction. Pence seems like the right navigator for that journey.

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» House Cleaning from Appalachian Scribe
Captain Ed reports that Mike Pence has gained support in his campaign for House Minority Leader. Pence is a solid fiscal conservative who is also moderate on immigration, and is exactly what the GOP needs right now. Surprisingly, [Read More]

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» Pence, Shadegg Gain Support For House GOP Leadership from Bill's Bites
Pence, Shadegg Gain Support For House GOP Leadership Ed Morrissey Mike Pence and John Shadegg, two strong fiscal conservatives, have picked up some support in their newly-launched campaign for House leadership. John Hawkins and Robert Bluey -- my blogg... [Read More]

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