Republicans With Ambition Vote Against Tax Bill

House Republicans considering a bid for higher office in 2012 apparently don’t think a vote for the tax cut bill would help them much. “At least eight of the 36 GOP ‘no’ votes came from members thought to be running for higher office in two years, including Rep. Mike Pence, Ind., (pictured) a potential GOP presidential hopeful,” The Hill reports.

Other potential upwardly mobile Republican candidates who voted against the measure are Reps. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, Denny Rehberg of Montana, Connie Mack of Florida, Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Pete Hoekstra of Michigan. Chaffetz is considering a primary run against Sen. Orrin Hatch, who voted “yes.” Rehberg, Mack, Bachmann and Hoekstra are potential Senate candidates too.

The “no” votes could endear the rejectionists to the tea party movement.