The Hill News

Sarah Palin would be a "force to reckon with" in the Republican presidential primary if she runs, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said Wednesday.

Pence, a candidate for governor of Indiana who passed on his own run for the White House despite the beckoning of conservatives, said he thought that Palin, the former governor of Alaska, would immediately be a contender -- if she decides to enter the race.

"I think that Sarah Palin unquestionably is a contender the day she decides to run," Pence said on MSNBC. "No question that Sarah Palin would be a force to reckon with in the primary, if she chooses to enter the fight."

Palin's received increased attention after having embarked on a national bus tour that included, on Tuesday, stops in Pennsylvania and a meeting in New York City with Donald Trump, another former presidential candidate. Speculation about Palin's ambitions will only grow when she travels later in her trip to New Hampshire, the host of! the first-in-the-nation primary.

But the biggest question mark about Palin has been her electability, both in a primary and a general election. Pence, an original member of the House Tea Party Caucus, didn't offer any endorsement for Palin, but seemed more bullish about her chances than maybe other Republicans have publicly expressed as of late.