Who
is Donald Trump's potential running mate Mike Pence?
Trump's running mate to
be in place ahead of Republican convention, which begins July 18
A favorite quote
highlights how Pence might smooth some of the sharp corners of the Trump
campaign and its supporters. "I'm a conservative," Pence has often
said. "But I'm not angry about it." (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
As a conservative talk-radio host in the
1990s, Mike Pence described himself as "Rush Limbaugh on decaf."
Two decades later, Pence is the unflappable
conservative governor of Indiana who has caught the eye of another fiery
personality: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Where the brash billionaire is impulsive,
Pence is cool-headed. Where Trump makes conservatives suspicious, Pence has
credibility. And where Trump struggles to draw evangelical Christians, Pence is
well-regarded by them.
A favorite quote highlights how Pence might
smooth some of the sharp corners of the Trump campaign and its supporters.
"I'm a conservative," Pence has
often said. "But I'm not angry about it."
The former congressman also is a proven
fundraiser with close ties to billionaire industrialists David and Charles Koch
and their network of wealthy donors, many of whom have been dismissive of
Trump.
"One thing you can say about Mike Pence
is he's got a very calm, steady demeanor that in some ways is a little
Reaganesque," said Christine Mathews, a Republican pollster for former
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. "He's a counterbalance to Trump in that
way."
Trump's decision, expected by the end of the
week, would cap months of speculation.
Not so long ago, their relationship was a
little awkward. Trump met privately with Pence before Indiana's primaries,
seeking his endorsement. Instead, Pence, under pressure from national
conservatives, tepidly endorsed Trump's rival, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, while
still lavishing praise on Trump. Trump won that primary. Before the night was
over, Cruz had quit the race.
For Pence, a former six-term congressman,
selection by Trump would offer a return to national politics after his embrace
of the role of a governor of conservative social issues sidelined his own
presidential ambitions. Describing himself as "a Christian, a conservative
and a Republican, in that order," Pence marched Indiana to the front lines
of the nation's culture wars. In 2015 he provoked a national backlash after
signing a law that critics said would have allowed businesses to deny service
to gay people for religious reasons.
Trump points to Pence before addressing the
crowd during a campaign stop at the Grand Park Events Center in Westfield,
Indiana. (John Sommers II/Reuters)
Even some Indiana Republicans have questioned
his decisions, suggesting Pence has at times seemed more interested in
appealing to national conservatives than doing what's best for the state. For
example, Pence's support of the state's religious objections law led to a
revolt from the business community, which joined gay rights advocates in
successfully pushing for changes to the law.
Raised in Columbus, Indiana, in an
Irish-Catholic family, Pence revered the Kennedys growing up and has said he
voted for Jimmy Carter in 1980. He later identified as an evangelical Christian
and was inspired to join the Republican Party by former President Ronald
Reagan, whose "happy warrior" rhetorical style Pence has since tried
to emulate.
After attending Hanover College, Pence
graduated from Indiana University Law School in 1986. He met his wife, Karen,
around the same time and twice unsuccessfully ran for Congress before taking a
job at Indiana Policy Review, a conservative think tank. In a 1991 essay titled
"Confessions of a Negative Campaigner," Pence swore off harsh
political tactics he used in "one of the most divisive and negative
campaigns in Indiana's modern congressional history" while calling for
"basic human decency."
"That means your First Amendment rights
end at the tip of your opponent's nose — even in the matter of political
rhetoric," Pence wrote, though in the face of a difficult re-election
campaign in Indiana he has since backtracked.
Willingness to buck
party
In Congress, Pence sponsored a few bills that
became law as amendments in other legislation. But he built a national
following among conservatives for his willingness to buck his own party after
opposing President George W. Bush's Medicare expansion and the No Child Left
Behind education overhaul. During the early years of President Barack Obama's
administration, Pence helped lead the opposition to the Democrat's agenda.
"He has a particularly strong talent, a
gift if you will, for being able to stick to principle while making his
political opponents or those who disagree with him feel like they are being
heard and respected," said Ryan Streeter, a former Pence aide and George
W. Bush staffer who is now a public affairs professor at the University of
Texas at Austin.
Pence's congressional experience is one trait
that Trump, who has never held public office, said he seeks in a running mate.
Marc Short, a former Pence aide and top Koch
Brothers operative, elaborated: "He's worked with (House Speaker) Paul
Ryan. He's worked with the team in House leadership. He's somebody who has deep
relationships in the evangelical movement, and he's somebody who has foreign
affairs experience."
Pence's one term as governor has drawn mixed
reaction, and he has managed to alienate moderate Republicans over social
issues.
Groups threatened boycotts over last year's
religious objections law and late-night television hosts mocked the policy,
leading lawmakers to approve changes.
This year Pence clashed with the local
Catholic archdiocese by opposing the settlement of Syrian refugees in
Indianapolis.
Pence was also slammed for the planned 2015
launch of "JustIN," a state-operated news service that was ditched
after critics panned it as "Pravda on the Plains."
But he has also presided over Indiana's
improving economy and plummeting unemployment rate, which Republicans credit to
the state's low taxes, limited regulation and pro-business climate.
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