With the news that Rep. Steve Buyer will not seek another term in this year’s election, speculation is running fast and furious on both sides of the aisle as to what potential candidates will emerge in the coming days. One name that has already grabbed hold in some circles is that of outgoing Secretary of State Todd Rokita, who appears to be floating his name at every opportunity for every possible office in the land.

One reason that I think we could see Rokita take a stab at the 4th District? Aside from the fact that he lives in the Indianapolis portion of the district — always a plus — there’s the simple fact that a sizable contingent of the current Republican power structure wants to find a place to put Todd where he can’t do any damage to himself or his party.

Specifically, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of Lt. Governor Becky Skillman supporters making a few phone calls today, as they no doubt will be jumping at the chance to rid themselves of a presumptive competitor to the 2012 GOP gubernatorial nomination. There’s reportedly no love lost between the two camps, but we might see the opposing sides come together if it means pushing Rokita out to pasture for the foreseeable future.

That being said, I wouldn’t mark this race in the ‘R’ category just yet — the next week or two may bring a few surprises that could make this perennial snoozefest of a district something to watch until November.