FLASH: Pence endorses Shadegg
By krempasky Posted in Republicans — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
“My choice is John Shadegg. While I see Roy Blunt and John Boehner as conservative men with honorable records of service in Congress, I am proud to endorse John Shadegg for Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives. ”
H/T to Kathryn Lopez at the Corner.
This is fantastic news for Shadegg. Pence's full letter is below the fold.
January 19, 2006
Dear RSC Colleague:
Two weeks from today, the Republican Congress will face a choice of enormous significance in the life of our nation and our majority. As chairman of the Republican Study Committee, it is always my goal to take action, with deliberation, in the best interests of our members and the conservative movement.
Out of respect for the fact that members of RSC would be supporting a variety of candidates, I had intended to withhold any endorsement in the race for Majority Leader. But given the addition of a prominent RSC member to the field and given that many members have already expressed a preference, it has become clear to me that an earlier, personal endorsement is now appropriate.
My choice is John Shadegg. While I see Roy Blunt and John Boehner as conservative men with honorable records of service in Congress, I am proud to endorse John Shadegg for Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives.
John Shadegg is a proven conservative leader in Congress. During his years as chairman of the Republican Study Committee and the House Policy Committee, John Shadegg has demonstrated a passion for the conservative agenda and a heart to build bridges between the diverse members of our Republican conference.
John Shadegg is a son of the Republican revolution, a member of the fabled class of 1994, and a leader who has never lost his zeal for reform. John Shadegg knows what fiscal and moral reforms are necessary to restore public confidence in the integrity of our national legislature. Now, more than ever, we need leadership with the energy and vision to steer this Congress back to our roots of fiscal discipline, limited government and traditional values.
John Shadegg is the right man with the right agenda to lead our majority during the challenging days that lie ahead. I humbly urge all my colleagues to support John Shadegg of Arizona as our next Majority Leader.
Sincerely,
Mike Pence
Chairman
Republican Study Committee
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National Review had been kvetching about Pence's declining to make an endorsement until the House Republican retreat (and the delay seemed to eschew leadership to me, too).
Just a guess, but I bet RSC members feeling pressure from Blunt and Boehner wanted one more reason to pledge to Shadegg and even switch a previous commitment.
So Pence changed his mind about the timing and issued the endorsement. Good for him. Shadegg has a legitimate shot, I think.
This may not be a needle to Blunt's ballooning expectations of certain victory, but it certainly lets some (a lot?) air out.
It also guarantees an enormously interesting secret ballot.
Any news on calls for a complete leadership election, or Blunt's ongoing efforts to hold his present seat regardless of the outcome in this race? I suspect that will be Boehner's next line of attack, presuming he can reach some deal with Shadegg (or vice versa, if Shadegg wants his support on ballot #2)
Ha-lle-lujah
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that Pence gets the bulk of the RSC to support Shadegg in the next couple of days.