Mike Pence Won't Run For Senate, May Run For President

The third ranking House Republican, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), announced Tuesday morning that his political aspirations didn't include a Senate run. Now, it turns out that he may have set his sights higher, perhaps on a presidential run in 2012.

On Tuesday afternoon, after sending out a letter to his supporters announcing his reasons for not making a Senate bid, Pence fielded questions from a group of conservative bloggers at the Heritage Foundation.

A self-proclaimed member of the "Tea Party" movement asked the Indiana Congressman if he was weighing a run for president in 2012. "Yeah, I've thought about that," Pence responded. "Given the right circumstances, with prayer, I'd give that consideration."

The Hill reports:

Pence initially downplayed presidential rumors, saying he hoped anyone who grew up in the U.S. would think about running for president, before conceding that he'd take a look at a presidential bid.

For the time being, however, Pence remains confident that "Republicans will win back the majority in the House of Representatives in 2010," and plans to work rigorously on achieving this outcome.