PoliticsDonald TrumpElections 2016RNC

Mike Pence Receives Republican Nomination For Vice President

Donald Trump said he picked the Indiana governor for "party unity."
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By 

Reporter, HuffPost

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Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence speaks in New York on July 16, 2016.
KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images

CLEVELAND ― The Republican party officially nominated Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to be its vice presidential candidate on Tuesday.

Pence, who served 12 years in Congress before becoming Indiana’s governor in 2013, could help presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump reach out to evangelicals and other members of the Republican establishment who are still skeptical of the business mogul’s candidacy. At a news conference on Saturday, Trump introduced Pence as his running mate and said one of the main reasons he chose him was “party unity.”

Even though Trump and Pence share a ticket, it’s not clear they share the same policy views. Pence is an avid defender of the war in Iraq ― something Trump claimed he opposed before the war even started. Pence is also an advocate for free trade, something Trump has also frequently criticized on the campaign trail.

In December, Pence also called Trump’s proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. “offensive and unconstitutional.” After being named Trump’s running mate, however, Pence switched his position and said he supports the plan. 

Pence has also long attacked reproductive rights and blocked raising both the federal and Indiana minimum wage.

Trump did not know Pence well prior to picking him as his running mate, and the rollout of their ticket has been a bit awkward. When Trump’s veep choice leaked out, he reportedly asked his campaign advisers if it was too late to change his mind.

At the Saturday press conference held to introduce his running mate, Trump took nearly half an hour to bring Pence onstage and talked mostly about himself.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.

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Before You Go

6 Reasons Mike Pence Is Terrible For LGBTQ People
He has supported LGBT discrimination under the banner of "religious freedom."(01 of06)
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In March 2015, Pence signed Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (or RFRA) into law, effectively legalizing discrimination against LGBT people across the state. The bill, which Vox called "one of the biggest political crises" of Pence's career, allowed business owners to cite their religious beliefs as justification for turning away LGBT customers.

The bill's passage sparked national controversy, and in the end, was reported to have set the state back $250 million. In April 2015, Pence signed a revised version of the bill into law that included language that explicitly barred businesses from denying services to customers on the basis of categories that include sexual orientation and gender identity. Many LGBT rights advocates remained critical of the revisions, saying that Indiana should have repealed the measure altogether. (credit:CHRIS KEANE / Reuters)
He REALLY opposes same-sex marriage.(02 of06)
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Pence has long been an outspoken opponent of marriage equality, and in floor speeches during his time in Congress, described marriage as being “ordained by God.”

Of the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling that granted same-sex couples the right to tie the knot nationwide, he reportedly said that he said he was disappointed that SCOTUS had “failed to recognize the historic role of the states in setting marriage policy,” but nonetheless noted that he believed “in the rule of law.” (credit:Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
He's opposed hate crime protections for LGBT people.(03 of06)
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In 2009, Pence was an outspoken opponent of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which officially expanded federal hate crime legislation to include violence directed at members of the LGBT community.

At the time, Pence blasted President Barack Obama for using the measure to “advance a radical social agenda,” according to USA Today, and argued that the law could be used to curb free speech rights. (credit:David Becker / Reuters)
He didn't want "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed.(04 of06)
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Pence was no fan of President Obama's decision to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," which banned gay and lesbian people from serving in the armed forces.

In 2010 he told CNN he did not want to see the military become “a backdrop for social experimentation," and said, "We ought to put their interests and the interests of our national security first." (credit:John Sommers II / Reuters)
He opposed Obama's 2016 transgender bathroom directive.(05 of06)
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In May, Pence spoke out against the Obama administration's directive advising public schools to allow trans students to use the bathroom that best corresponds with their gender identity or risk losing federal funding.

“The federal government has not business getting involved in issues of this nature,” Pence said. (credit:Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
His stance on HIV/AIDS prevention is questionable at best.(06 of06)
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In 2000, Pence suggested that money from a program to help those with HIV/AIDS should be repurposed toward organizations that “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior,” BuzzFeed reports.

He's also suggested that needle exchange programs, which can be used to help prevent the spread of HIV, encouraged drug use.

Last year, Pence reluctantly allowed for a short-term needle exchange program to be put into place in Indiana following a spike in HIV infections across the state.

"I do not enter into this lightly," he told The Indianapolis Star. "In response to a public health emergency, I'm prepared to make an exception to my long-standing opposition to needle exchange programs." (credit:Andrew Kelly / Reuters)
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