This week, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump sat down with Mike Pence, the current Indiana Governor and possible Republican VP pick, at Pence’s Indianapolis home. Could he be Trump’s right-hand man? On Tuesday, after Pence delivered a 5 minute impassioned introduction for the brash billionaire and praised his “no nonsense kind of leadership,” Trump, in classic fashion, replied: “I don’t know if he’s going to be your governor or your vice president. Who the hell knows!” Perhaps this meet up, which also included Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, answers the question.
So who is this Indiana-born, 57-year-old, ardent social conservative? Here are five things to know about Governor Mike Pence.
- Law, Radio, Politics—has Pence done it all? After graduating from Hanover College and the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Pence practiced as an attorney. Following two unsuccessful runs for Congress, he sharpened his speaking skills and hosted The Mike Pence Show, a weekend political talk show. He was eventually elected to the US House of Representatives for Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District (later to be renamed the 6th district), a position he would hold for the next 12 years (2001-2013). After a two year post as the Chair of the House Republican Conference, he was elected as the 50th Governor of Indiana. Pence is likely itching for Trump to make up his mind, as he has until this Friday to withdraw from the governor’s race for re-election, so that his party can locate a replacement candidate. The governor held an estimated net worth of $211,511 as of 2012.
- He’ll bring new levels of social conservatism to the Trump campaign. Pence is infamous (or famous, depending on your viewpoint) for his signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which, as he wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece: “ensures that Indiana law will respect religious freedom and apply the highest level of scrutiny to any state or local governmental action that infringes on people’s religious liberty.” However, the law was met with major criticism for its underlying intentions to target the LGBT community. Despite once claiming: “Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexual’s as a ‘discreet and insular minority’ entitled to the protection of anti-discrimination laws similar to those extended to women and ethnic minorities,” Pence claimed that was not the law’s intention.
- He’s a family man. Pence is the father of a Marine Corps Officer. In fact, he’s quite the family man and has always had the active support of his wife and three kids in campaigning efforts. Even his socially liberal daughter Audrey voted for his re-election as governor. His mother has also weighed-in publicly on his political career. Mrs. Pence Fritsch has proven that mother knows best when she told the Terre Haute Tribune Star back in 2015 that it’s not time for her son to run for president — at least just yet.
- He doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with Mr. Trump. It’s not surprising that the Indiana governor and hotheaded presidential nominee don’t exactly agree on all policy issues, especially considering Pence actually supported Trump’s former competition, Ted Cruz. What is perhaps a bit surprising is the political statement staunchly conservative Pence chose to take issue with. Pence posted on Twitter late last year that a proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. is “offensive and unconstitutional.”
- He too has his share of haters. Earlier this year, a group called “Periods for Pence” took to social media to encourage women to report their periods to the Governor. Its founder said that she was inspired to launch the campaign after reading a bill signed into law by Pence that prohibits abortions on the basis of genetic abnormalities or race. The group asserted that since any period could potentially hold a miscarriage, all females should inform the curious Governor of their menstrual cycles.
