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Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, one of six children of
Nancy Jane (née Cawley) and Edward J. Pence, Jr., who ran a string of gas
stations.[6][7] His family were Irish Catholic Democrats.[1] His maternal grandfather was an
immigrant from County Sligo, and
his maternal grandmother's parents were from County Clare.[8][9] He was named after his
grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, a Chicago bus driver who came to the
United States through Ellis Island.[10]
Pence graduated from Columbus North
High School in 1977. He earned a B.A. in History from Hanover College in 1981 and a J.D. from
the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in
1986. While at Hanover, Pence joined the Phi Gamma Deltafraternity, serving as his
chapter's president.[11] After graduating from Hanover,
Pence worked as an admissions counselor at the college from 1981 to 1983.[12] After graduating from law
school in 1986, Pence worked as an attorney in private practice.[13] He ran unsuccessfully for a
congressional seat in 1988 and 1990. He returned to his law practice following
his second unsuccessful run. In 1991, he became the president of the Indiana
Policy Review Foundation, a self-described free-market think tank and a member of theState Policy Network.[14]
Pence left the Indiana Policy Review Foundation in 1994, when he
began a career in talk radio. He hosted The
Mike Pence Show,which was based in WRCR-FM in Rushville.
Pence called himself "Rush Limbaugh on decaf" since he considered
himself politically conservative while not as outspoken as Limbaugh.[15] The show was syndicated by Network
Indiana and aired weekdays 9 a.m. to noon (ET) on 18 stations throughout the
state, including WIBC in Indianapolis.[16] From 1995 to 1999, Pence also
hosted a weekend political talk show out of Indianapolis.[17][18]
U.S.
House of Representatives
Elections
1988 and 1990 campaigns for Congress
In 1988, Pence ran for Congress against Democratic incumbent Phil Sharp.[19] Pence lost the election to
Sharp.[19]
Pence ran again in 1990, against Sharp, quitting his job in
order to work full-time in the campaign. Sharp won again.[19] During the race, Pence used
"political donations to pay the mortgage on his house, his personal credit
card bill, groceries, golf tournament fees and car payments for his wife."[20] While the spending was not
illegal at the time, it reportedly undermined his campaign.[20] After the 1990 defeat, he ran
"a statewide apology tour".[20]
During the 1990 campaign, Pence ran an ad in which an actor,
dressed in a robe and headdress and speaking in a thick Middle Eastern accent,
thanked his opponent for doing nothing to wean the United States off imported
oil as chairman of a House subcommittee on energy and power.[21][20] In response to criticism,
Pence's campaign responded that the ad was not about Arabs, it was about
Sharp's lack of leadership.[21][20] In 1991, Pence published an
essay, "Confessions of a Negative Campaigner",[22] in which he apologized for
running negative ads against Sharp.[15][20]
U.S. House of Representatives,
2000–2012
Pence as a U.S. Congressman
In November 2000, Pence was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives in Indiana's 2nd Congressional District after six-year
incumbent David M. McIntosh (1995–2001)
opted to run forgovernor of Indiana.
The district (renumbered as the 6th District beginning in 2002) comprises all
or portions of 19 counties in eastern Indiana. Pence was re-elected four more
times by comfortable margins. In the 2006
House elections, he defeated Democrat Barry Welsh.
On November 8, 2006, Pence announced his candidacy for leader of
the Republican Party (minority leader)
in the United
States House of Representatives.[23] Pence's release announcing his
run for minority leader focused on a "return to the values" of the
1994 Republican Revolution.[24] On November 17, Pence lost to
Representative John Boehner of Ohio by
a vote of 168–27–1 (the one vote went to Representative Joe Barton of Texas).[25]
Pence defeated Reverend Barry Welsh in the 2008 House election. In January 2009, Pence
was elected by his GOP colleagues to become the Republican Conference Chairman, the
third-highest-ranking Republican leadership position. He ran unopposed and was
elected unanimously. He was the first representative from Indiana to hold a House
leadership position since 1981.[2] In 2008, he was listed as one
of the top ten legislators by Esquire magazine.[26]
In 2010, Pence was
encouraged to run against incumbent Democratic Senator Evan Bayh.[27][28][29] According to Rasmussen polling
done on January 21 and 24, 2010, Pence led Bayh by a three point margin.[30] On January 26, 2010, in an
open letter to friends and supporters through his Facebook page, Pence
announced his decision not to run for the Senate; he cited his role in the
Republican leadership and the belief that Republicans would win back the House
in 2010 as his reasons for staying in the House of Representatives.[citation needed]
2012 campaign for Indiana governor
After the November 2010 election, Pence announced that he would
not run for re-election as the Republican Conference Chairman.[31] On May 5, 2011, Pence
announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for Governor
of Indiana in 2012.[32][33]
Tenure
Pence served as the chairman of the Republican Study
Committee, a group of conservative House
Republicans, from 2005 to 2007.[34]
His committee assignments in the House were the following:
107th Congress (2001-2003): Agriculture, Judiciary, Small Business[35]
108th Congress (2003-2005):
Agriculture, International Relations, Judiciary[36]
109th Congress (2005–2007):
Agriculture, International Relations, Judiciary[37]
110th Congress (2007–2009):
Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Select Committee to Investigate the Voting Irregularities
of August 2, 2007[38]
111th Congress (2009-2011):
Foreign Affairs[39]
112th Congress (2011-2013):
Foreign Affairs, Judiciary.[40]
While in Congress, Pence belonged to the Tea Party Caucus.[41]
During Pence's twelve years in the House, he introduced 90 bills
and resolutions;
none became law.[42]
Abortion and Planned Parenthood
Pence began seeking to defund Planned Parenthood in
2007,[43] by introducing legislation
aimed at preventing any organization that provides abortion services from
receiving Title X funding.[44]
Economy
Pence was a co-sponsor of H.J.Res.73, a 2011 spending limit
amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
This amendment would limit federal spending to "the average annual revenue
collected in the three prior years, adjusted in proportion to changes in
population and inflation."[45] In regards to adopting the gold standard, Pence stated in 2011, "the
time has come to have a debate over gold and the proper role it should play in
our nation’s monetary affairs".[46]
He has been a proponent of a flat federal tax rate, and opposed the TARP bank
bailout of 2008.[47]
Education
Pence voted against the No Child Left
Behind Act.[48]
Earmarks
Then-U.S. Representative Pence (third from left) standing behind
then-Governor Mitch Daniels at
a press conference in Martinsville, Indiana
Pence was a supporter of earmark reform.
He voted against the $139.7 billion transportation-treasury spending bill
in June 2006, and in favor of a series of amendments proposed that same month
by Jeff Flake that would strip other
members' earmarks from the federal budget.[49] On occasion, however, Pence
secured earmarks for projects in his district.[49]
Immigration laws
In June 2006, Pence unveiled an immigration plan (which he
described as "no Amnesty immigration reform")
that would include increased border security, followed by strict enforcement of
laws against hiring illegal aliens, and a Guest worker program.
This guest worker program requires potential participants to apply from their
home country to government-approved job placement agencies that match workers
with employers who cannot find Americans for the job.[50] The plan received support from
conservatives such as Dick Armey,[51] but attracted criticism from
other conservatives such as Phyllis Schlafly, Richard A. Viguerie,
and Pat Buchanan, who
viewed Pence as lending "his conservative prestige to a form of liberal
amnesty."[52][53]
Pence supported the Iraq War Resolution,
which authorized military action
against Iraq.[54]
During the Iraq War, Pence opposed
setting a public withdrawal date from Iraq.
During an April 2007 visit to Baghdad, Pence andJohn McCain visited Shorja market, the site of a deadly
attack in February 2007, that claimed the lives of 61 people. Pence and McCain
described the visit as evidence that the security situation in Iraqi markets
has improved.[55] The visit to the market took
place under large security including helicopters overhead, and the New
York Times reported that the visit gave a false indication of how
secure the area was due to the extremely heavy security forces protecting
McCain.[56]
Pence chaired the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and
was a prominent supporter of George W. Bush's Iraq War troop
surge of 2007. At the time, Pence stated that "the surge is
working" and defended the initial decision to invade in 2003.[54]
Pence has opposed closing the Guantanamo
Bay detention camp and trying the suspected terrorists in the
U.S.[57] Pence believes that "the
Obama administration must overturn this wrongheaded decision".[57] As an alternative, Pence has
said that the "enemy combatants" should be tried in a military
tribunal.[57]
Pence has stated his support of Israel and its right to attack
facilities in Iran to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons, has
defended the actions of Israel in its use of deadly force in enforcing the
blockade of Gaza, and has referred to Israel as "America's most cherished
ally".[58] He visited Israel in 2014 to
express his support, and in 2016 signed into law a bill which would ban Indiana
from having any commercial dealings with a company that boycotts Israel.[59]
Two weeks prior to the NATO
intervention in Libya, Pence thanked the Obama administration and
Secretary of State Clinton for their efforts to isolate the Gaddafi regime.[60][61][62] Pence expressed support for
"a no-fly zone" and stated that "Qadhafi must go".[60][61][62]
Healthcare
Pence opposed the Medicare prescription drug benefit (Medicare Part D).[63]
Tobacco
In 2001, Pence wrote an op-ed arguing against additional
government regulation of tobacco and the corresponding increase in the size of
government and encroachment on private lives. He stated that “despite the
hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn't kill.”[64][65] Pence asserted, "2 out of
every three smokers does not die from a smoking related illness and 9 out of
ten smokers do not contract lung cancer," while acknowledging that
"smoking isn't good for you" and people who smoke should quit.[64][65]
Trade
During his tenure in the House, Pence voted for several trade
deals.[66]
Views on homosexuality
In 2000, Pence stated "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."[67] He called for "an audit
to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that
celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of
the HIV virus" and instead advocated for resources to be directed toward Conversion therapy
programs.[68][69][70]
Pence has said that homosexuals should not serve in the
military, saying, "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service
because the presence of homosexuals in the ranks weakens unit cohesion"
and in 2010 stated that repealing Don't ask, don't tell
would "have an impact on unit cohesion."[71] Pence opposed the 2009 Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, saying that Barack Obama wanted to "advance a radical
social agenda"[72] and said that pastors
"could be charged or be subject to intimidation for simply expressing a
Biblical worldview on the issue of homosexual behavior."[73]
Pence opposes both same-sex
marriage and civil unions.[74] While in the House, he said
that "societal collapse was always brought about following an advent of
the deterioration of marriage and family".[75] He has advocated a
constitutional same-sex marriage ban but did not champion such a proposed ban
for his first year as governor.[76]
Climate change
In 2001, Pence wrote "Global warming is a myth,"[77] saying, incorrectly, that
"the earth is actually cooler today than it was about 50 years ago".[78] In 2009 he told Chris Matthews that there was a
"growing skepticism in the scientific community about global
warming."[79][80]
Other
In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana coast, Pence favored offsetting
the costs of the hurricane with $24 billion in other spending reductions.[81]
Pence is an advocate of federal restrictions of online gambling.
In 2006, he and 34 others members of the House cosponsored H.R. 4411, the
Goodlatte–Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act,[82] and H.R. 4777, the Internet
Gambling Prohibition Act.[83]
Pence was mentioned by MSNBC as
a possible candidate for President of
the United States in 2008[citation needed] and 2012.[84] In September 2010, Pence was
the top choice for president in a straw poll conducted by the Values Voter Summit.[85][86]
After the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the Affordable Care Act on
June 28, 2012, Pence, in a closed-door meeting, said that the ruling upholding
the health care law was similar to the September 11
terrorist attacks.[87] He immediately apologized for
making the statement.[88]
Governor
of Indiana
2012 election
Main article: Indiana
gubernatorial election, 2012
On May 5, 2011, Pence announced that he would be seeking the
Republican nomination for Governor of Indiana in
2012.[89]Incumbent Republican Governor Mitch Daniels was term-limited. On
November 6, 2012, Pence won the gubernatorial election,[90]defeating Democratic nominee John R. Gregg and Libertarian nominee Rupert Boneham.
Governor Mike Pence speaking at the 2015 Conservative
Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland
on February 27, 2015
Pence became the 50th Governor of Indiana on
January 14, 2013.[citation needed]
2013–14
Pence made tax reform, namely a 10% income-tax rate cut, a
priority for 2013.[91][92] While he did not get the 10%
cut he advocated, Pence did accomplish his goal of cutting state taxes.[91] Legislators cut the income tax
by 5% and also killed the inheritance tax.[91] Speaker of the House Brian Bosma said of the deal, "What
we ended up doing was putting together a collective tax package that results in
the largest tax cut in our state’s history, about $1.1 billion dollars."[93]
On June 12, 2013, the Indiana legislature overturned Pence's
veto of a bill that would retroactively authorize a local tax. Lawmakers
overrode the governor's veto in a 68–23 vote in the House and
a 34–12 one in the Senate.[94] With an interesting twist,
Republican legislators overwhelmingly voted against Pence, while most Democrats
supported his veto.[95] The Jackson–Pulaski tax fix,
one of three bills vetoed by the Governor during the session, addressed a
15-year-old county income tax which had been imposed to fund the construction
of jail facilities with the stipulation that the tax be lowered by 1% after the
first several years. The reduction was not implemented and thus county
residents paid an additional 1% tax that they were legally not required to pay.
The bill, which was passed by a huge majority of legislators and subsequently
vetoed by Pence, allowed money to be kept and not returned to the tax payers as
would have otherwise been necessary.[96]
Pence's communications director, Christy Denault, said that he
"stands by [his] veto and regret[s] that it was not upheld by theIndiana General
Assembly today. While this bill contained some positive
provisions, the Governor believes that when Hoosiers pay taxes that are not
owed, they should be offered relief. Hoosiers can be assured that Governor
Pence and his administration will continue to put taxpayers first."[95] Republicans argued that the
veto itself would be unfair for taxpayers as state tax payers had to make up
the money spent on calculating refunds to the tax payers in Jackson and Pulaski Counties.
The bill also included tax breaks and benefits for veterans and veteran
families that many legislators were unwilling to see vetoed. "Sustaining
this veto will be a tax increase on the innocent spouses of disabled (and)
deceased veterans, a tax increase through no fault of their own," said
Republican District 7 State Senator Brandt Hershman. "Sustaining the veto
will be a vote against the innocent taxpayers in Pulaski and Jackson counties
who still regardless of our action here ... have to fund a jail."[95]
In June 2013, Pence was criticized for deleting comments of
others posted on his official government Facebook page; he apologized.[97]
In 2014, Pence called for the "swift adoption" of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP), urging Indiana's congressional delegation to
support the trade deal.[66]
Since December 2014, there has been an HIV outbreak in Southern
Indiana.[64] Pence had long been a vocal
opponent of needle exchange
programs, which allow drug users to trade in used syringes for
sterile ones in order to stop the spread of diseases, despite evidence
that they work.[64] Since March 2015, he has
allowed at least five counties to open needle exchanges but hasn’t moved to
lift the state ban on funding for needle exchanges.[64]
2015
Mike Pence at the 500 Festival Parade in
Indianapolis, 2015
On January 26, 2015 it was widely reported that Pence had
planned to launch a state-run, taxpayer-funded news service for Indiana.[98] The service, called
"JustIN" was to be overseen by a former reporter for The Indianapolis Star,
and would feature breaking news, stories written by press secretaries, and
light features.[98] At the time, it was reported
that the two employees who would run the news service would be paid a combined
$100,000 yearly salary.[98] The target audience was small
newspapers that had limited staff, but the site would also serve to communicate
directly with the public. The idea was met with revulsion both by small Indiana
newspapers and by the national news media. The publisher of the Portland Commercial Review said,
"I think it's a ludicrous idea ... the notion of elected officials
presenting material that will inevitably have a pro-administration point of
view is antithetical to the idea of an independent press."[98] Many news stories compared the
new JustIN service to state-run news agencies
in Russia, China, and North Korea.[99] There was speculation that the
news service would publish pro-administration stories that would make Pence
look good in the event of a presidential run.[100]
It was especially surprising coming from Pence, because of his
history in radio and his former role as a media advocate in Congress, when he
supported shield laws protecting
confidentiality of media sources and opposed the Fairness Doctrine, which would have given the
government more control over political speech.[101] The Atlantic regarded the
announcement of JustIN as evidence of a disturbing changing trend in how the
public gets news.[99] After a week or so of
controversy about the idea, Pence scrapped the idea saying, "However
well-intentioned, after thorough review of the preliminary planning and careful
consideration of the concerns expressed, I am writing you to inform you that I
have made a decision to terminate development of the JustIN website
immediately."[102]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Main article: Indiana SB 101
On March 26, 2015, Pence signed Indiana Senate Bill 101, also known as the
Indiana "religious objections" bill (RFRA), into law.[103]The law's signing was met with
widespread criticism by people and groups who felt the law was carefully worded
in a way that would permit discrimination against LGBT persons.[104][105][106][107] Such organizations as the NCAA,
the gamer convention Gen Con, and the Disciples of Christ spoke
out against the law. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff condemned the law, with Salesforce.com saying it would halt its
plans to expand in the state.[108][109] Angie's List announced that they would
cancel a $40 million expansion of their Indianapolis based headquarters due to
concerns over the law. The expansion would have moved 1000 jobs into the state.
The mayors of San Francisco and Seattle banned official travel to Indiana.[110] Thousands protested against
the policy.[104] Five GOP state
representatives voted against the bill, and Greg Ballard, the Republican mayor of
Indianapolis, criticized it as sending the "wrong signal" about the
state.[111]
Pence repeatedly defended the law, stating that it was not about
discrimination. In an appearance on the ABC News program This Week with
George Stephanopoulos,[112] Pence stated, "We are
not going to change this law", while refusing to answer whether examples
of discrimination against LGBT people given by Eric Miller of anti-LGBT group
Advance America would be legal under the law.[113] Pence denied the law
permitted discrimination and wrote in a March 31, 2015, Wall Street Journal op-ed,
"If I saw a restaurant owner refuse to serve a gay couple, I wouldn't eat
there anymore. As governor of Indiana, if I were presented a bill that
legalized discrimination against any person or group, I would veto it."[114]
In the wake of the backlash against the RFRA, on April 2, 2015,
Pence signed legislation revising the law to prevent potential discrimination.[115] Discrimination against LGBT
individuals in employment, housing, and public accommodation remains legal, an
issue that will be debated in the 2016 legislative session, and Pence has yet
to endorse a proposed bill.[116]
Balanced Budget Amendment
As governor, Pence has pressed for a balanced budget amendment
to the state's constitution. He initially proposed the initiative in his State
of the State address in January 2015. The legislation has passed the state
Senate and is progressing through the House.[117]
Medicaid expansion
In 2015, Pence and the Obama administration agreed
to expand Medicaid in Indiana, in accordance with the Affordable Care Act.[118][119] As part of the expansion,
Pence negotiated modifications to the program for Indiana that included
co-payments by participants. The co-payments are linked to healthy behaviors on
the part of the participants, so that, for example, a participant who quit
smoking would receive a lower co-payment. Participants can lose benefits for
failing to make the payments.[120]
Syrian refugees
As of March 2016, Pence has attempted unsuccessfully to prevent Syrian
refugees from being resettled in Indiana.[121] In December 2015, Pence
stated that "calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and
unconstitutional".[122][123][124]
2016 re-election campaign
Main article: Indiana
gubernatorial election, 2016
Pence ran for a second term as governor. He was unopposed in the
May 3, 2016, Republican primary for governor. He was to face Democrat John Gregg, former Speaker of the Indiana
House of Representatives, in a rematch of the 2012 race. However,
Pence filed paperwork ending his campaign on July 15, 2016.[125]
Pence endorsed Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in the 2016
Republican presidential primaries.[3]
Donald Trump considered naming Pence as his Vice Presidential
running mate along with other finalists Governor Chris Christie and former
House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The Indianapolis Star reported
July 14 that Pence will end his re-election campaign and accept the Republican
vice presidential nomination instead.[126] This was widely reported on
July 14, 2016. The following day, Trump officially announced on Twitter that Pence will be his running
mate.[127][128][129][130]
Immediately after the announcement, Pence came out in favor of
Trump's Muslim ban, reversing his earlier position that it was offensive and
unconstitutional: "I am very supportive of Donald Trump's call to
temporarily suspend immigration from countries where terrorist influence and
impact represents a threat to the United States".[131]
Personal
life
Pence, and his wife, Karen, speaking at CPAC 2015
in Washington, D.C.
Pence and his wife Karen Pence have been married since 1985.
They have three children: Michael, Charlotte, and Audrey. Pence, a former Roman Catholic,[132] is a born-again Christian.[15] During his service in the U.S.
House, the Pence family lived in Arlington, Virginia,
when Congress was in session.[citation needed]
