Everywhere a conservative looks, these days, it seems as if former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are the top two thus far, in race to take on Barack Obama in 2012.

While they are indeed popular, one can’t discount the grassroots campaign of Indiana Congressman Mike Pence (R).

Pence has been moving about the country, making numerous speaking engagements, including a stop in North Carolina to the NCGOP State Convention a year or so back.    He’s been a consistent figure at Right Online, Defending the American Dream, and other national and state conservative conferences.

He made well-received speech at CPAC in February and then treated those on blogger’s row (including KCC) to a command performance. He brought in an entourage of  television cameras, as if he was making an advertisement to be used  later.   After a short speech in the blogger’s room, he  took questions for a half hour.  Your blogger had to stand on a chair to get good photos and a decent view.

Pence is one who understands the power of the new media and he uses it at will.  He earns write ups like this one because he takes the time to meet with bloggers.   He has staffers who communicate endlessly with members of the new media, both on and off-the-record.

Your blogger remains a  ”Palin phan”, but she would love it if Pence were on the ticket, too.

Pence has appeared on this blog (in its previous place) many times, as he is usually the spokesman against the Obama agenda and for the House Republicans.

With his striking good looks, and white hair, he looks like a candidate out of central casting.  Your blogger will continue to watch and see how things develop, but she knows she can count on Congressman Pence to keep the heat on the President.

This is an especially uncertain era, when unaffiliated voters can vote in the GOP primary. Often, the more fiscally conservative candidate is not necessarily the one chosen.  Senator John McCain‘s nomination in 2008 is the most glaring example, as he was not the favorite of fiscal or social conservatives, but rather of Independents who voted in Republican Party primaries across the nation.

Many conservatives weren’t happy until he chose Sarah Palin for the lower half of the ticket.  Even then, voters often told exit pollsters that they didn’t vote for McCain, but rather voted for Palin.

Could a Pence/Palin or a Palin/Pence ticket be a reality?  Probably not. They both play to the same base and two staunch conservatives would probably not make a strong ticket that would appeal to as broad of a base as the GOP needs.

Sadly, as the minority party, the GOP must draw in as many Independents and Democrats as possible.   Thus a conservative and a moderate, from different parts of the country are the formula that it would take to beat Obama in 2012, if he can be beaten.  (Sure, it seems like a sure thing now, but 2012 is a long way off.)

More on this election, and the role the Obama organization is already performing in North Carolina, in a later post.  Meanwhile, count in Mike Pence.  He’s a conservative on the rise.

Below is his speech to Right Online 2010, this past weekend in Las Vegas:

Rep. Mike Pence at RightOnline from AFPhq on Vimeo.

Many people at RightOnline came away from this speech telling your blogger that they just found their nominee to take on Obama.  Your blogger has known this all along.

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