Pence in 2020?

The strong performance of Mike Pence in the Vice-presidential debate makes him a leading candidate for the 2020 presidential election, should Donald Trump not get elected.  At least this is what many Republicans are saying.  (I would add that being Vice-president, far from being a meaningless job, often leads to the presidency, so that in case Trump does elected and runs again, Pence would be in a strong position for 2024.)

Did the 17 or so Republican candidates this year come out of their primary failures as damaged goods?  Or would some of them make viable candidates in 2020?  Do you like Pence for that election?  Who else is waiting in the wings and would make a good candidate?

From Pence’s 2020 stock rises in the GOP – POLITICO:

Mike Pence’s steady debate performance helped calm the nerves of Republicans feeling anxious about the current presidential campaign — and cemented their view that he remains a national-level candidate if the election goes badly for the GOP in November.

The Indiana governor laid out the type of policy portfolio that Republicans seem likely to adopt in a post-Trump party, an anti-abortion, tax-cutting and small government regimen that’s been the center of the congressional GOP for decades. And while Pence’s defense of Donald Trump was questionable — he struck a substantially more interventionist tone on both Syria and Russia than the GOP presidential nominee — Pence’s efforts on Tuesday bucked up Republicans who support Trump as well as those who remain on the fence.
And that means that if Trump loses on Nov. 8, Pence may be one of the first names bandied about to run in 2020.

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