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, 2003
Preceded by	Dan Burton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 2nd district
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	David McIntosh
Succeeded by	Chris Chocola
Born	June 7, 1959 (1959-06-07) (age 50) Columbus, Indiana
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Karen Pence
Residence	Columbus, Indiana
Alma mater	Hanover College, Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
Occupation	attorney, talk show host
Religion	Evangelical Christian

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. He currently serves as Chairman of the House Republican Conference (caucus) for the 111th United States Congress.^[1] Pence's district covers much of Eastern Indiana.

[edit] Early life and family

Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, one of six children. He attended Columbus North High School and graduated from Hanover College with a B.A. and the Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington with a J.D.. After completing his education he was a practicing attorney and radio talk show host, based out of then WRCR-FM (now WIFE-FM), Rushville, Indiana. He served as President of Indiana Policy Review. 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, it seemed the district had become much friendlier to Republicans^{[citation needed]}, 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 has been reelected four more times. In the 2006 House elections, he defeated Democrat Barry Welsh. He was listed as one of the top ten legislators by Esquire magazine in 2008.^[2]

Mike Pence was mentioned as a possible candidate for President in 2008. However, he did not run for President. In June 2009, an MSNBC political blog listed him as one of a dozen or so possible Republican candidates for President in 2012.^[3] That month, the Des Moines Register reported that he planned to visit the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area in late July.^[4] Iowa has the first caucus in early 2012, before the primaries in other states.

[edit] Committee assignments

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

[edit] Caucus associations

Congressional Caucuses consist of Congress members who are united in their political stance concerning an issue, and try to advance those issues in Congress, usually through writing legislation. Caucuses can be partisan as well as bipartisan.

• Congressional Internet Caucus
  • The Congressional Internet Caucus works to "educate the Congress and the public about important Internet-related policy issues"[1]
• Congressional Task Force Against Anti-Semitism, co-chair
  • The Congressional Task Force Against Anti-Semitism is a bipartisan caucus,formed in 2007 to "bring to light specific cases of anti-Semitism and educate Members of Congress, world leaders and citizens about the horrors that these cases pose on society"[2]. The CTFAS introduced legislation "condemning rising trends in anti-Semitic activity in the United States and abroad"[3]in spring of 2009.

[edit] Political positions

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). Pence describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."^[5]

[edit] Civil Liberties

In May 2007 Pence publicly opposed expanding federal hate crimes protection to minorities in the United States. Insisting that the protection bill is "This legislation is unnecessary and bad public policy...hate crimes laws serve no practical purpose"^[6]

[edit] Immigration reform

In June 2006, Pence unveiled a plan he describes as "no amnesty immigration reform" consisting of increased border security, 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.^[7] The plan has received support from conservative leaders such as Dick Armey.^[8] 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.^[9] Others (Phyllis Schlafly and Tom Tancredo) have criticized Pence's plan.^[10][11]

[edit] Taxes

Pence voted for the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and advocates making them permanent, as well as the Partial Birth Abortion Ban and "Operation Offset" to counterbalance Hurricane Katrina spending. He has voted against federal subsidies for embryonic stem cell research, and has cosponsored pork barrel spending reform. He was influential in the RSC's Top Ten Agenda for 2006.^[12]

[edit] Visit to Iraq

Pence has also been a supporter of the Iraq War. During an April 2007 visit to Baghdad, Pence and John McCain visited Shorja market, the site of a deadly attack in February, 2007, that claimed the lives of 61 people. During the visit, Pence wore a bulletproof 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."^[13]

[edit] Guantanamo Bay

Mike Pence is strongly opposed to shutting down Guantanamo Bay and trying the suspected terrorists in the US. He believes that trying the terror suspects inside the United States puts “international public relations ahead of public safety and makes a mockery of American justice”[4]. Pence believes that “the Obama administration must overturn this wrongheaded decision”[5].

As an alternative, Pence has said that the “enemy combatants”[6] should be tried in a military tribunal.

[edit] Other issues

Recently, Pence has urged House Democrats to sign onto a petition which would discharge the Broadcaster Freedom Act, a bill that would restore the Fairness Doctrine. Pence believes that the new act will "censor the airwaves of American talk radio and American Christian radio"[7].

Pence is an advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act^[14] and H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.^[15]

[edit] Candidacy for House Republican leadership

[edit] 2006

On November 8, 2006, Mike Pence announced his candidacy for leader of the Republican Party (minority leader) in the United States House of Representatives.^[16]

Pence's release announcing his run for minority leader focused on a "return to the values" of the 1994 Republican Revolution.^[17] 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..."^[17]

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,^[18] Laura Ingraham,^[19] and Rush Limbaugh.^[20] Ingraham stated on her show, "If there is a God in heaven, (Pence) will be the next House minority leader."^[19] 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).^[21]

[edit] 2008

After defeating Rev. Barry Welsh in the 2008 House election, Pence was elected by the House to become the Republican Conference Chairman, the third highest Republican leadership position. He ran unopposed and was elected unanimously. He is the first Representative from Indiana to hold a House leadership position since 1981.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congressman Mike Pence Official House site
• Mike Pence for Congress Official campaign site
• Mike's Blog

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Hoosiers for the FairTax, grassroots website Mike Pence, cosponsor