INDIANAPOLIS — Republican Rep. Mike Pence says he will not seek re-election to a U.S. House leadership position so that he can focus on future "opportunities to serve Indiana and our nation in the years ahead."
His decision not to seek re-election as House Republican Conference Chairman could pave the way for a possible White House bid in 2012 or a run at Indiana's governor's office.
The conservative Christian wrote in a letter to colleagues Wednesday that he doesn't know what the future will hold for his family and that he will "wait on the Lord and follow where He leads."
Pence is the third-ranking Republican in the U.S. House and spent much of the fall campaign season outside the district supporting other GOP candidates across Indiana and the country.