Roll Call: Pence will run for Minority Leader if GOP loses House

[Mr. Morden]

link:

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/breakingnews/15789-1.html

(The headline also says "Shadegg could enter whip contest".)

"If Republicans lose control of the House majority Tuesday, there likely will be at least a three-man race for Minority Leader, as House GOP sources confirmed today that Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is planning to throw his hat in the ring for the top job."

There is no explanation of who the first two men are in this "three man race".  The CW seems to be that Hastert will resign from the leadership if the GOP loses the House, so Boehner would probably be the frontrunner to be Minority Leader.  Don't know who the second person would be.  Though this article from the WaPo says:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/05/AR2006110501102.html

"Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers, such as Reps. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) have been quietly putting out calls suggesting they might throw their hats in the ring for leadership posts. On Saturday, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-Tex.) announced that he, too, would be seeking a leadership post if a slot is available."

[Mr. Morden]

Update: I'm an idiot.  I saw a link to this by Rich Lowry on NRO's The Corner blog, and didn't realize that the only reason the story appears only a paragraph long is because this is in the subscription only portion of Roll Call.  But Lowry has reposted part of the story:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YmM2ZDNlYTY4OGMzNjFiZDk5ZmZhNjdkZDdhYWE1OWI=

"    Sources aligned with conservatives said that there had been concern among the rank-and-file members that Pence and Shadegg would vie for the same job, prompting infighting among the conservative faction of the Conference.

    Sources said the two conservatives have spoken in recent days. One House source who was not directly familiar with the conversations, said it was a "reasonable conclusion" that the two men would not run for the same job...

    Sources said Pence is not expected to make a run for leadership if Republicans defy expectations and hold on to the majority. Additionally, if the GOP loses the majority by a razor-thin margin * such as one or two seats * Pence could opt not to run...

    While Pence sometimes has been viewed as a divisive Member in the broader House Republican Conference for his willingness to criticize his party for straying from the principles rooted in the historic 1994 GOP takeover, he has been a prominent voice among conservatives both on and off Capitol Hill.

    Conservatives could feel more emboldened if Republicans lose a significant number of House seats tomorrow, because much of those loses would stem from the defeat of their moderates. Centrist Members in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other battleground districts are in competitive races."