Mike Pence’s brother readies congressional bid

One of Vice President Pence’s older brothers is readying a bid for Congress in the same district where his brother served, according to new documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The AP received IRS forms showing that Greg Pence filed the Greg Pence for Congress Committee on Monday, documents that indicate he’s nearing an expected bid in Indiana’s 6th Congressional District.

But the Federal Election Commission has not yet received his statement of candidacy, a form a candidate must file within two weeks of launching a campaign.

{mosads}Ahead of his bid, Pence signed on to assist Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.), who currently holds the congressional seat, in Messer’s bid for Senate as his finance chairman. Messer has to vacate his seat in order to run, opening the door for Pence’s bid.

Pence did not immediately return a request from The Hill to comment on the report, and the Messer campaign did not respond as to whether Pence has left the campaign.

Pence has long been rumored as a candidate for the open seat and would immediately become the strong favorite to win in the Republican-leaning district. With the prospect of a Pence bid looming over the race, the five Republican candidates who have already announced bids there have raised little money, making it even more likely for him to clear the field.