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  • In July 2016, Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump announced that he had chosen

  • Mike Pence to be his running mate.

  • Pence is

  • a staunch social conservative who is reportedly well-liked in Republican circles.

  • However in the public sphere, little is known about the Indiana governor.

  • The vice presidential debate was ostensibly our first glance into what Pence would be

  • like as second in command.

  • So who is Mike Pence?

  • Well, Mike Pence is an Indiana Republican who has been in public office since 2000,

  • most of that time in the House of Representatives.

  • Pence grew up in a small city just south of Indianapolis, where his father ran a chain

  • of gas stations.

  • As a child, Pence was an altar boy in a Catholic church, and even once considered becoming

  • a priest.

  • Today, Pence calls himself "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order".

  • But Pence never pursued the ministry.

  • Instead, he obtained a law degree and became a private attorney.

  • In 1988 and 1990, Pence ran for a congressional seat, losing in both elections to the incumbent

  • Democrat.

  • Both campaigns had bitter, personal attacks, including a TV ad featuring a man dressed

  • in Middle-Eastern garb, thanking Pence’s opponent for America’s dependence on foreign

  • oil.

  • After the losses, Pence wrote an essay titledConfessions of a Negative Campaigner

  • in which he admitted that his attacks were wrong, and stressed the importance of politicians

  • focusing on the issues.

  • After losing the elections, Pence started his own talk radio show, where he positioned

  • himself as level-headed conservative pundit, or as he called itRush Limbaugh on decaf”.

  • Pence once again ran for Congress in 2000, this time winning.

  • During his tenure, Pence voted against tax increases and big spending bills, and was

  • one of the early advocates of the Tea Party Movement.

  • Pence is best known for his part in a series of controversies regarding LGBT rights.

  • In Congress, he advocated for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, stating that homosexuality

  • is choice and that deterioration of the nuclear family wouldlead to societal collapse”.

  • Pence became a household name in 2015, when, as Governor, he signed Indiana’s “religious

  • freedom bill”, which allows businesses-owners to refuse LGBT customers.

  • Critics called the law discriminatory, and after nationwide backlash, Pence signed a

  • gutted version of the bill, which included language saying it could not be used to purposely

  • discriminate.

  • However the amendment did not appease either side of the issue, and many say the crisis

  • painted Pence as weak.

  • This is one of many issues about which Trump and Pence don’t see eye to eye.

  • Trump, for example, has a history of supporting LGBT rights.

  • Other issues, like the Trans Pacific Partnership, and abortion are also sticking points for

  • the two.

  • In March 2016, Pence signed one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation, while Trump has

  • generally spoken out about being pro-choice, up until the 2016 election, when his stance

  • became muddled.

  • And although Pence has pushed for increased border security, he called Trump’s proposed

  • ban on Muslim immigrationoffensive and unconstitutional.”

  • In the end, it’s unclear whether Pence is a smart addition to Trump’s ticket.

  • Experts say Pence’s staunch social conservatism could detract moderates and independents.

  • However his footing in Indiana and comparatively moderate demeanor could be just what Trump

  • needs to win the election.

  • So while Pence might be Trump’s golden bullet, how is Hillary Clinton’s running mate fairing

  • for her?

  • Just who is Tim Kaine, and what kind of a VP would he end up being?

  • Find out in this video.

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In July 2016, Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump announced that he had chosen

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