article_snippet.sent: (CNN)A year ago Bloomberg published a story with the following headline: Mike Pence, a Koch Favorite, Mulls 2016 Run for President.
article_snippet.sent: a story with the following headline: Mike Pence, a Koch Favorite, Mulls 2016 Run for President ticked off items on Pence's conservative things-to-do list while also noting his close ties to the deep-pocketed Koch brothers, as well as other right-wing lobbying groups.
article_snippet.sent: Last August the Indiana governor was in Dallas for an Americans for Prosperity event; the group is backed by the conservative Koch brothers, and supported Gov. Pence's tax-slashing budget.
article_snippet.sent: Now, Pence is drawing huge heat for the Indiana governor controversial decision to sign a religious freedom law last week that opens the door to discrimination against gays and lesbians.  
article_snippet.sent: Why would Pence ignore the pleas of Indiana's Chamber of Commerce as well as the Republican mayor of the Indiana governor state capital and sign such a bill?
article_snippet.sent: Because there's a very powerful wing of the Indiana governor party that wants a conservative as his party 2016 candidate and such a bill was Pence's way of shoring up the Indiana governor street cred.
article_snippet.sent: It is also the reason why Republican Jeb Bush, Pence's fellow White House hopeful, who is viewed as a little light in that category, was first to rush in to defend Pence and the law.
article_snippet.sent: Backlash aside, the fact is Pence has scored a lot of points this week among ultraconservatives.
article_snippet.sent: And even if you think neither Pence nor (George H.W. Bush) nor Cruz will win the nomination, someone has to.
article_snippet.sent: Pence didn't act alone.
article_snippet.sent: He only signed a bill that first passed muster with other elected officials.
article_snippet.sent: Pence, and to a lesser extent, Jeb Bush, may be toxic now but America has a short attention span.