Mike Pence vice presidential campaign, 2016
- See also: Mike Pence
Mike Pence (R) was elected vice president on November 8, 2016, and sworn in on January 20, 2017. On July 15, 2016, Donald Trump announced that he had selected then Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.[1]
Pence began his tenure as governor of Indiana in 2013. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives representing Indiana's 2nd Congressional District from 2001 to 2013.[2] Pence received the vice presidential nomination of the Republican Party on July 19, 2016, at the Democratic National Convention.[3]
Several news outlets reported on July 1, 2016, that Pence was traveling to meet with then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and that Pence was formally being vetted as a potential running mate for Trump. Pence's office confirmed the meeting in an official statement, but the governor downplayed a possible VP pick, saying, "I haven't talked to him about that topic. My focus is here in the Hoosier state and that is where it will stay."[4]
On May 19, 2015, Pence announced that he would not seek the presidency in 2016. He chose to forgo a presidential campaign in order to run for re-election as governor of Indiana.[5] Pence dropped his bid for re-election in Indiana when Donald Trump asked him to join the Republican ticket on July 14, 2016. Pence had until noon on July 15, 2016, to withdraw from the governor's race to allow Indiana Republican leaders to select a replacement candidate.[6] He officially withdrew his gubernatorial candidacy less than an hour before the July 15 deadline. Pence could not run for re-election and for vice president at the same time because Indiana law prohibits candidates from running for both federal and state office.[7]
Pence on domestic affairs
Pence is anti-abortion and a strong supporter of "religious liberty" and gun rights. He supported the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and the Keystone XL pipeline. While in Congress, he voted against measures to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, against Obamacare, and against a law to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Pence suports voter ID requirements and in September 2016 urged Americans to "set aside talk of institutional racism and institutional bias" after the police shootings in Charlotte and Tulsa.
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Pence on economic affairs and government regulations
As governor of Indiana, Pence restrained spending growth and cut taxes. He is a longtime supporter of free trade, but says he no longer supports NAFTA or the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Pence opposed the 2008 Wall Street bailout.
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Pence on foreign affairs and national security
Pence supported Israel and strengthening the U.S. military. He opposed the Iran nuclear agreement. While in Congress, Pence supported military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq and voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq.
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Vice presidential debate
On October 4, 2016, Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine participated in the only vice presidential debate of the 2016 election. The debate took place at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, and was moderated by Elaine Quijano of CBSN.
Preparation
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) helped Pence prepare for the debate by playing the role of Tim Kaine.[9] Walker himself sought the 2016 Republican nomination but suspended his campaign in September 2015 and later endorsed Donald Trump. Prior to Trump’s selection of Pence as his running mate, Walker was rumored to be a potential candidate.
Debate analysis
See below how much the vice presidential candidates spoke and which words they used most commonly during the debate.
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Debate substance
Russia was the most frequently mentioned country, followed by Iran and Syria. Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin were the public figures mentioned most by Pence and Kaine. Debate topics included the economy, criminal justice, national security, and each presidential candidate's character.
Key statements made by Pence
On taxes and the economy
- "I think the fact that—that under this past administration ... of which Hillary Clinton was a part, we've almost doubled the national debt is atrocious. I mean, I'm very proud of the fact that—I come from a state that works. The state of Indiana has balanced budgets. We cut taxes, we've made record investments in education and in infrastructure, and I still finish my term with $2 billion in the bank."[10]
- "Look, Donald Trump and I have a plan to get this economy moving again just the way that it worked in the 1980s, just the way it worked in the 1960s, and that is by lowering taxes across the board for working families, small businesses and family farms, ending the war on coal that is hurting jobs and hurting this economy even here in Virginia, repealing Obamacare lock, stock, and barrel, and repealing all of the executive orders that Barack Obama has signed that are stifling economic growth in this economy."[10]
- "You—honestly, Senator, you can roll out the numbers and the sunny side, but I got to tell you, people in Scranton know different. People in Fort Wayne, Indiana, know different. I mean, this economy is struggling. The answer to this economy is not more taxes."[10]
- "[Trump's] tax returns—his tax returns showed he went through a very difficult time, but he used the tax code just the way it's supposed to be used. And he did it brilliantly."[10]
On Obamacare
- "But a trillion dollars in tax increases, more regulation, more of the same war on coal, and more of Obamacare that now even former President Bill Clinton calls Obamacare a crazy plan. But Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine want to build on Obamacare. They want to expand it into a single-payer program. And for all the world, Hillary Clinton just thinks Obamacare is a good start."[10]
On policing
- "Police officers are the best of us. And the men and women, white, African-American, Asian, Latino, Hispanic, they put their lives on the line every single day. And let my say, at the risk of agreeing with you, community policing is a great idea. It's worked in the Hoosier state. And we fully support that. Donald Trump and I are going to make sure that law enforcement have the resources and the tools to be able to really restore law and order to the cities and communities in this nation. It's probably—probably why the 330,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Donald Trump as the next president of the United States of America, because they see his commitment to them. They see his commitment to law and order. But they also—they also hear the bad mouthing, the bad mouthing that comes from people that seize upon tragedy in the wake of police action shootings as—as a reason to—to use a broad brush to accuse law enforcement of—of implicit bias or institutional racism. And that really has got to stop."[10]
On immigration and refugees
- "Donald Trump's laid out a plan to end illegal immigration once and for all in this country. We've been talking it to death for 20 years. Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine want to continue the policies of open borders, amnesty, catch and release, sanctuary cities, all the things that are driving—that are driving wages down in this country, Senator, and also too often with criminal aliens in the country, it's bringing heartbreak. But I—Donald Trump has a plan that he laid out in Arizona, that will deal systemically with illegal immigration, beginning with border security, internal enforcement."[10]
- "[I]t really does begin with us reforming our immigration system and putting the interests, particularly the safety and security of the American people, first. I mean, Donald Trump has called for extreme vetting for people coming into this country so that we don't bring people into the United States who are hostile to our Bill of Rights freedoms, who are hostile to the American way life. But also, Donald Trump and I are committed to suspending the Syrian refugee program and programs and immigration from areas of the world that have been compromised by terrorism. Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine want to increase the Syrian refugee program by 500...."[10]
- "But, look, if you're going to be critical of me on that, that's fair game. I will tell you, after two Syrian refugees were involved in the attack in Paris that is called Paris' 9/11, as governor of the state of Indiana, I have no higher priority than the safety and security of the people of my state. So you bet I suspended that program. And I stand by that decision. And if I'm vice president of the United States or Donald Trump is president, we're going to put the safety and security of the American people first."[10]
On Donald Trump and the campaign
- "[Tim Kaine] says ours is an insult-driven campaign. Did you all just hear that? Ours is an insult-driven campaign? I mean, to be honest with you, if Donald Trump had said all of the things that you've said he said in the way you said he said them, he still wouldn't have a fraction of the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said that half of our supporters were a basket of deplorables. It's—she said they were irredeemable, they were not American. I mean, it's extraordinary. And then she labeled one after another "ism" on millions of Americans who believe that we can have a stronger America at home and abroad, who believe we can get this economy moving again, who believe that we can end illegal immigration once and for all."[10]
- "I'm very, very happy to defend Donald Trump."[10]
On foreign policy
- "But about Aleppo and about Syria, I truly do believe that what America ought to do right now is immediately establish safe zones, so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas, work with our Arab partners, real time, right now, to make that happen. And secondly, I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength. And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue, I should say, to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo."[10]
- "Ronald Reagan also said nuclear war should never be fought because it can never be won. And the United States of America needs to make investments in modernizing our nuclear force for both deterrence and assurance to our allies. But let me go back to this Iran thing. I mean, he keeps saying that they prevented—that Hillary Clinton started the deal with the Iranians prevented Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."[10]
On balancing faith and policy
- "[M]y Christian faith is at the very heart of who I am. I was also raised in a wonderful family of faith. It was a church on Sunday morning and grace before dinner. But my Christian faith became real for me when I made a personal decision for Christ when I was a freshman in college. And I've tried to live that out however imperfectly every day of my life since. And with my wife at my side, we've followed a calling into public service, where we've—we've tried to—we've tried to keep faith with the values that we cherish."[10]
- "But for me, I would tell you that for me the sanctity of life proceeds out of the belief that—that ancient principle that—where God says before you were formed in the womb, I knew you, and so for my first time in public life, I sought to stand with great compassion for the sanctity of life. The state of Indiana has also sought to make sure that we expand alternatives in health care counseling for women, non-abortion alternatives. I'm also very pleased at the fact we're well on our way in Indiana to becoming the most pro-adoption state in America. I think if you're going to be pro-life, you should—you should be pro-adoption."[10]
- "So for me, my faith informs my life. I try and spend a little time on my knees every day. But it all for me begins with cherishing the dignity, the worth, the value of every human life."[10]
Pence's net worth
Personal Gain Index
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:
PGI: Change in net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Pence's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $11,015 and $169,000. That averages to $90,007.50, which was lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[11] Between 2004 and 2012, Pence's calculated net worth[12] increased by an average of 155 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2014, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[13]
| Mike Pence Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2004 | $15,803 |
| 2012 | $211,510 |
| Growth from 2004 to 2012: | 1,238% |
| Average annual growth: | 155%[14] |
| Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[15] | |
The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Mike + Pence + vice + presidential + candidate
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Donald Trump selects Mike Pence as VP," July 15, 2016
- ↑ Congressional Biographical Directory, "Mike Pence," accessed April 4, 2015
- ↑ IndyStar, "Gov. Mike Pence formally nominated as the Republican Party's vice presidential candidate," July 19, 2016
- ↑ NBC News, "Mike Pence to Meet With Trump, Being Vetted as Potential VP," accessed July 2, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Indiana Gov. Mike Pence won't run for president," May 19, 2015
- ↑ IndyStar, "Gov. Mike Pence arrives in New Jersey in preparation for Trump's vice presidential announcement," July 15, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Trump chooses Pence for VP," July 15, 2016
- ↑ IndyStar, "Strong faith shapes Mike Pence's politics," July 14, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Exclusive: Here’s who’s playing Tim Kaine in GOP debate prep," September 17, 2016
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 The Washington Post, "The Mike Pence vs. Tim Kaine vice-presidential debate transcript, annotated,” October 5, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Pence, (R-Indiana), 2010"
- ↑ This figure represents the average annual percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or their first year in office (as noted in the chart below) to 2012, divided by the number of years calculated.
- ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
- ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
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