In choosing Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running-mate, Donald Trump has reassured both establishment republicans and social conservatives — but he has also picked someone who in many ways is his polar opposite. Pence addresses the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. As a conservative talk show host in Indiana, Pence called himself “Rush Limbaugh on decaf.” The show was a springboard to runs for office that initially landed Pence flat on his face. He ran twice for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988 and 1990, only to be decisively defeated after election records showed he used campaign funds to make mortgage payments, for golf fees, his wife’s car payments, and other personal expenses. The payments were not illegal at the time but would become so under rules changes that followed the disclosure. In his second campaign, Pence would use such nasty attack ads against his opponent, Democrat Philip Sharp that they “backfired,” according to Sharp, giving a much larger victory over his GOP opponent.
Meet Mike Pence, ‘Midwestern Polite’ With An Unrelenting Conservative Message
