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Mike Pence (R-Ind.)

U.S. Representative (since January 2001)

(Brendan Hoffman
Getty Images)

Why He Matters

Though he's now one of the most prominent House Republicans, Pence is leaving all that behind to run for Indiana governor in 2012.

Trying to replace Mitch Daniels (R), Pence announced in May 2011 that he would make the race, calling it the "worst kept secret in Indiana politics."

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: House Republican Conference Chairman November 2008-November 2010); Chairman, Republican Study Committee (2005-2006); Radio Host, Mike Pence Show (1994 to 2000)
Birthday: June 7, 1959
Hometown: Columbus, Ind.
Alma Mater: Hanover College, B.A., 1980; Indiana University, J.D, 1986
Spouse: Karen
Religion: Protestant
DC Office: 100 Cannon House Office Building, 202-225-3021
District Offices: Anderson, 765-640-2919; Richmond, 765-962-2883; Muncie, 765-747-5566

Path to Power

Pence was born in Columbus, Ind., one of six children.

Pence received his undergraduate degree from Hanover College in 1980. It was at Hanover that he experienced a conversion of sorts - from Democrat sympathizer to Republican, and from Catholic to evangelical protestant. He attended Indiana University law school, where he received his J.D. in 1986.

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Pence started working as an attorney, but quickly found his way into the political spotlight. He ran unsuccessfully for the House seat he now holds in 1988 and 1990, losing both times to Rep. Phil Sharp (D-Ind.), a moderate Democrat.

After his second defeat, Pence wrote a piece called "Confessions of a Negative Campaigner" for the Indiana Policy Review. In it, he quoted St. Paul and apologized for accusing his opponent of shady business dealings. "It is wrong, quite simply, to squander a candidate's priceless moment in history," he wrote. "It seems more grievous that I left my supporters so few clues as to how I would have governed differently."

After his second defeat, Pence took a break from campaigning, but not from politics. He was the president of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, a conservative think tank, and the radio host of "The Mike Pence Show," a right-leaning talk program that was syndicated across the state from 1994 to 2000.

U.S. House

When then-Rep. David McIntosh (R-Ind.) left his seat to run for governor in 2000, Pence jumped into the House race. He defeated five other candidates in the Republican primary. In the general election, he was opposed by Robert Rock, an attorney and the son of a former lieutenant governor. At the last minute Bill Frazier, a former Republican state senator, also entered the race as an independent.

Rock attacked Pence for his lack of military service and Frazier argued that he would offer more relief for middle- class families. But Pence's call for across-the-board tax cuts and Medicare reform resonated with voters. He won with 51 percent of the vote.

Leading House Conservative

Pence quickly became one of the party's leading conservative voices, railing against the dangers of big government. In 2005, he was elected unanimously as chairman of the conservative and powerful Republican Study Committee. In that job, he vowed to put more conservative federal judges on the bench, limit abortion rights and cut spending and entitlement programs like Medicaid.

Pence ran for House minority leader in 2006, arguing that the party needed to return to its "small government ideology." However, Pence couldn't overcome Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-Ohio) popularity and his own reputation for opposing Republican legislation. He lost, 168 to 27.

In 2008, former rival Boehner convinced him to run for GOP conference chairman. According to Politico, Pence had promised Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) he would stay out of the race, but changed his mind. He ran unopposed.

Pence declined a run for retiring Sen. Evan Bayh's (D-Ind.) Senate seat in 2010.

The Issues

Pence is one of the most outspoken conservatives in the Republican Party. He is a particular champion of controlling the federal budget and cutting government spending, and also supports free markets and "traditional" values.

His decisions are guided by his religion - he tells people "I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."

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Pence voted with his party 91 percent of the time during the 110th Congress. However, he has opposed his party on some key measures when they don't conform to his political beliefs. He voted against President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind, the 2003 Medicare prescription drug benefit and a bankruptcy bill because it included a measure supporting abortion rights.

Pence gained notice (and was attacked by many colleagues) when he challenged former Majority Leader Tom DeLay's (R-Texas) assertion that it would be impossible to compensate for spending in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina with budget savings elsewhere. Pence and his conservative colleagues proposed numerous ways to save money in the federal budget through an initiative called Operation Offset.

Though the House GOP leadership was furious, "Operation Offset" sparked a debate in Washington and ushered in a renewed effort to limit government spending.

"Katrina breaks my heart," Pence said in 2005. "Congress must do everything the American people expect us to do to meet the needs of families and communities affected by Katrina. But we must not let Katrina break the bank for our children and grandchildren."

Immigration

Pence was at the forefront of the 2006 immigration debate. He worked with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) to draft a plan that would appeal to hard-line Republicans and proponents of a guest-worker program. The legislation would have required illegal aliens to leave the country and then return on a two-year visa, which could be extended if the recipient passed an English proficiency test.

The measure also proposed creating a privately-run database that would match immigrants with openings companies were unable to fill with Americans.

The proposal was seen as political blasphemy by many in the GOP base. Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan likened Pence's involvement with the plan to a scene of betrayal in the "The Godfather". Team America, a conservative political action committee, launched a web site feature called "Pence Watch."The measure ultimately failed.

Protecting Journalists

In 2008, Pence surprised conservatives by supporting a federal shield law that would have protected journalists from revealing their sources to federal officials. "What's a conservative like me doing passing a law that helps reporters?" Pence asked during a House debate.

He explained "the only check on government power in real time is a free and independent press it's about protecting the public's right to know."

The Network

Pence works closely with other conservative members of the House. He is especially close with Hensarling and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.). He worked with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) on the 2005 federal shield law to protect journalists and has allied himself with prominent senators such as Hutchison.

Pence was the only House member to file a lawsuit charging that the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law was unconstitutional. At the time, he said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) "was so deep in bed with the Democrats his feet are coming out of the bottom of the sheets." Their relationship has remained chilly.

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