Indiana residents hope Pence keeps their interests in mind

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Fort Wayne needed expensive airport improvements, its mayor contacted an influential Indiana native — then-Vice President Dan Quayle — to help secure federal funding.

Paul Helmke, the former Fort Wayne Mayor and current public affairs professor at Indiana University, recalls getting federal funding for the city airport after Quayle "put in a word" He says Quayle also smoothed the way for a flood abatement project in the city.

[...] some Indiana GOP leaders who recently proposed a tax increase to pay for infrastructure projects are hoping Pence might help nab a larger-than-usual share of federal funding for roads.

Pence has said that he wants to model his term after Cheney, who as George W. Bush's vice president was extremely influential in the administration's foreign policy decisions.

"Access to government is always something that people pay a lot of money for," said Zoeller, who added that a well-placed call from the White House will certainly be noted by members of Congress and executive agency heads.