This doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. In the 1970’s, House Republican chairman John B. Anderson parlayed his position into a 3rd party run in 1980. Used right, the conference chair can greatly enhance his own national visibility and influence party positions on issues. If Pence hasn’t figured out how to be a leader in this position, why does he suppose that he’ll do better in the WH?
But Anderson lost, didn’t he.