Analyst: Pence will run for governor

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - NewsChannel 15 political analyst and Republican Allen County Recorder John McGauley says Congressman Mike Pence will run for Indiana governor in 2012.

McGauley said that information came straight from people who work for Pence .

"He's running for governor. He's laying the groundwork with all these bus tours that he's doing; supporting legislative candidates [in Indiana]. And he's even out there right now recruiting county coordinators for a governor's race," said McGauley.

When NewsChannel 15 double-checked to make sure McGauley was getting his information from Pence staffers, McGauley said, "Absolutely."

No one on Pence's staff has been willing to officially confirm a run for governor. In fact, the top official under Pence denied McGauley's claims to NewsChannel 15.

Pence's chief of staff, Bill Smith, said Tuesday that the congressman hasn't decided what he'll do in the future and also denied that there's been any effort to recruit county coordinators or any other positions for a future campaign.

Smith said he does anticipate Pence making a decision Wednesday about whether he'll continue as part of House Republican leadership. Pence will likely easily win re-election to his U.S. House seat covering much of eastern Indiana Tuesday night.

Pence has been rumored to be considering a run for president or governor for some time, but McGauley's statements appear to be the first time any public official has gone on record to confirm knowledge of Pence's future plans.