By Josh Weinhold, Elkhart Truth, 11/22/2011
GOSHEN — Mitch may have been Indiana’s man for the last seven years, but Mike wants to pick up where the current governor leaves off.
U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th, said he believes Gov. Mitch Daniels has built “a better Indiana” during his two terms in office, especially after 16 years of Democratic governors.
With state law limiting Daniels’ time as governor, Pence is running to succeed him in 2012. At a Monday campaign stop in Goshen, though, Pence emphasized that he’s also planning to build on the current governor’s legacy.
“It really is extraordinary. What Mitch Daniels has shown is that leadership matters,” Pence said at the Elkhart County GOP headquarters. “I’m running because I believe we can do even better.”
Pence, 52, a Columbus native who represents the eastern part of the state, said he will conduct a campaign based on fiscal responsibility, a pro-business growth agenda and education reform. Emphasis on those points, he said, will move Indiana even farther forward.
The state has a rare opportunity, he said, to be a shining example to the rest of America. Indiana has positioned itself to spring forward as the nation comes out of a long recession, Pence said.
“We can take Indiana places its never been before in my lifetime,” said Pence, the former chairman of the House Republican Conference. “Indiana can lead. Indiana can be a model state.”
Pence said his plan to increase jobs will be a key part of his campaign, and its aims will be based on economic freedom, drawing less tax money from citizens and allowing businesses to grow and expand.
He lauded Indiana General Assembly GOP leaders for making “job creation a top priority” by deciding to push right-to-work legislation in next year’s session. If passed, that law would prevent companies from negotiating with unions that require non-union members to pay for representation.
Education is something he discusses frequently on the campaign trail, too. Pence said he strongly supports parental choice over where children attend school, though he also wants to see federal success standards and national testing removed from the system.
Pence said he’s not only eager to return to full-time life in Indiana, but he hopes to return some of the state’s rights to it, as well.
If a Republican is elected president next year, Pence said he first wants to see that person repeal federal health care legislation passed under President Barack Obama, then see that person return Medicaid control to the states.
“If we write that program without the federal government,” he said, “we’ll do better.”
