Mike Pence

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Mike Pence

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2001–
Preceded by	Dan Burton
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	June 07, 1959 (age 47) Columbus, Indiana
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Karen Pence
Religion	Evangelist

Michael Richard "Mike" Pence (born June 7, 1959) is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Indiana's 6th congressional district (see map). He is a prominent conservative and has been mentioned as a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2008.

1 Early life and family
2 Political career
3 Political leanings
4 Candidacy for House Republican leadership
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early life and family

Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana. He graduated from Hanover College and the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis. He was a lawyer and radio talk show host, where he was widely known as "Rush Limbaugh on decaf." Also prior to becoming a US Representative, he served as President of Indiana Policy Review, a state think tank. He and his wife Karen have three children.

[edit] Political career

Pence ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1988 and 1990, losing to longtime Democratic incumbent Phil Sharp. By 2000, however, the district had become much friendlier to Republicans, and Pence was handily elected after six-year incumbent David McIntosh opted to run for governor of Indiana.

His first term in Congress began in January 2001. The 6th District comprises all or portions of 19 counties in eastern Indiana, and was numbered as the 2nd District during his first term in Congress. He was reelected in 2002 and 2004 with no significant opposition. In the 2006 House elections, he defeated Democrat Barry Welsh.

Mike Pence has been mentioned as a possible candidate for President in 2008.

[edit] Political leanings

He is the former chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative House Republicans. He was succeeded in the 110th Congress by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX). The RSC is the largest single component of the Republican caucus. Pence often describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."^[1]

In June 2006, Pence unveiled a plan he describes as 'no amnesty immigration reform' consisting of increased border security first, 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.^[2] The plan has received support from conservative leaders such as Dick Armey.^[3] However, paleoconservative commentator Pat Buchanan described this as "stealth amnesty," claiming that it is merely a 'one week vacation' for illegal immigrants to return to their home country to apply for jobs under the program. ^[4] Other conservative leaders like Phyllis Schlafly and Tom Tancredo have also criticized Pence's plan.^{[citation needed]}

Pence is often described as a "Reagan Republican," and frequently quotes President Reagan in speeches and press releases. He speaks of supporting individual freedom, private enterprise, free markets, limited government, traditional values, and a strong national defense. Under his guidance, the RSC's plan for the 109th Congress was entitled, "The Contract with America: Renewed."

Pence voted for the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and advocates making them permanent, he voted for the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, for "Operation Offset" to counterbalance Katrina spending, and against federal subsidies for embryonic stem cell research (citing his pro-life beliefs and that most success in research has been from adult stem cells), and has co-sponsored pork spending reform. He was influential in the RSC's Top Ten Agenda for 2006,^[5] which focused on fiscal responsibility and traditional values.

Pence has also been a strong supporter of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. Even as US public opinion had turned against the war in 2007, Pence maintained an enthusiastic committment to escalating US troop presence in the country, going to great lengths to justify his position. During an April 2007 visit to Baghdad, Pence and John McCain visited Shorja market--which had been the site of a deadly attack in February, 2007 that claimed the lives of 61 people. During the visit, Pence wore a bullet-proof vest and was accompanied by 100 soldiers in armored Humvees being protected from above by US attack helicopters. He described his heavily-militarized visit as being "unfettered" and "like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime." ^[6] The day after Pence's visit to the market he described as "normal," 21 market workers were abducted, restrained, and shot dead. ^[7]

[edit] Candidacy for House Republican leadership

On November 8, 2006, Mike Pence announced his candidacy for leader of the Republican Party (minority leader) in the US House of Representatives.^[8]

Pence's release announcing his run for minority leader focused on a "return to the values" of the 1994 Republican Revolution.^[9] He said regarding the Contract with America: "Our opponents will say that the American people rejected our Republican vision. I say the American people didn't quit on the Contract with America, we did. And in so doing, we severed the bonds of trust between our party and millions of our most ardent supporters..."^[9]

Some political analysts, such as Robert D. Novak, say Pence benefited in the long run from the endorsement of numerous organizations and individuals aligned with the party's base. Some of which include Human Events ^[10], Laura Ingraham,^[11] and Rush Limbaugh.^[12] Ingraham stated on her show, "If there is a God in heaven, (Pence) will be the next House minority leader."^[13] Pence also received support from the Club for Growth, The Wall Street Journal and David Keene from the American Conservative Union.

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).^[14]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence official House site
Mike's Blog
Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Federal Election Commission - Congressman Mike Pence campaign finance reports and data
On the Issues - Mike Pence issue positions and quotes
OpenSecrets.org - Mike Pence campaign contributions
Project Vote Smart - Representative Mike Pence (IN) profile
SourceWatch Congresspedia - Mike Pence profile
Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Mike Pence voting record
Mike Pence for Congress official campaign site
Mike Pence for President 2008 unofficial supporter
IN FairTax grassroots website Mike Pence, cosponsor

Preceded by David M. McIntosh	United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Indiana 2001-2003	Succeeded by Chris Chocola
Preceded by Dan Burton	United States Representative for the 6th Congressional District of Indiana 2003 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Sue Wilkins Myrick	Chair of the Republican Study Committee 2005 - 2006	Succeeded by Jeb Hensarling