House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) declared Friday that Republicans would win control of the House in 2010 and bring conservative values back to Washington, D.C., in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference.

“The question of American renewal is no longer if but when,” Pence told listeners gathered inside the Washington Marriott Wardman Park’s ballroom. “Even Republicans in Congress have returned to the fight.”

And while other GOP leaders argue that their party has a big tent, Pence maintained that only Republicans who hold fast to conservative principles should be elected.

“We don’t just need a Republican majority, we need a conservative majority on Capitol Hill,” Pence said.

Pence, who has been mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential contender, received several standing ovations during the speech — particularly when he addressed issues of national security and abortion rights.

“Stay focused, send us a conservative Congress,” he told the crowd. “Let us do as generations of Americans have done before. Let us stand for what has always been the source of American greatness: our faith in God and our freedom.”

While the speech covered a broad swath of traditional conservative themes, Pence also peppered the remarks with a few jokes.

He began his remarks by acknowledging that his speech might not receive the media attention that he had hoped.

“I heard the news that Tiger Woods would be addressing the nation at 11 a.m. on Friday,” he said. “Oh perfect.”