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Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry has passed away after a brief battle with cancer.

For Possible Candidates, Deciding Whether to Run for Office Can Be Tricky

Courtesy
/
State of Indiana

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s announcement this week that he is actively exploring a presidential bid is causing ripple effects as the 2016 electoral picture begins taking shape.  And an Indiana political strategist has a message for potential presidential candidates: if you’re going to run, run.

Pete Seat is a former spokesman for the Indiana Republican Party, Senator Dan Coats and the Bush administration. 

He says presidents can’t defer decisions of international or national importance once they’re in office, so he asks why presidential candidates should get to do so when deciding to run.

“If an individual believes that he or she is the most capable of occupying the Oval Office and the role of President of the United States, they should just run for the job.”

Seat says that includes Governor Mike Pence, who’s received lots of attention regarding a potential candidacy but says he won’t decide until next year. 

Don Cogman is the author of Run Mitch, Run about former governor Mitch Daniels’ near-candidacy for president.  Cogman, who was part of the circle of advisors for Daniels’ decision, says it’s not just the candidate who has to make the choice.

“It’s a difficult decision and it just depends on the family situation and sort of where they are in that particular stage of their life.”

Seat acknowledges that the upcoming legislative session could delay Pence’s decision, but notes there’s rarely a perfect time for candidates to announce they’re running for president.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.