INDIANAPOLIS (AP): Gov. Mike Pence built his nati

onal brand as a stalwart conservative on social issues, but is again stumbling over the question of gay marriage.

A federal judge in southwest Indiana at first accepted Pence's legal argument that he should not be named as a defendant in one of the lawsuits challenging Indiana's gay marriage ban.



But that judge changed his mind after learning of a pair of orders from Pence telling state workers how to enforce the state's ban.



It's the second time this year that Pence has struggled with an issue that most social and religious conservatives have had little trouble with. And it comes at a time when he's looking to build his national star in advance of a possible White House run.