Donald Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was "the anti-Trump" as a congressman, according to
Politico.
Pence is, in his own words, "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican — in that order." The Indiana native was first elected to Congress in 2001 and won re-election four times before he became the Hoosier State governor in 2013.
During that time he opposed the Republican majority on many issues, including President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education bill and the GOP's plan to expand Medicare in 2003. He opposed bailing out Wall Street in 2008 and Sen. John McCain's campaign finance reform bill.
Paul Ryan, now the House Speaker but then a Republican outsider from Wisconsin, joined Pence in calling for an end to legislative earmarks, which the House later banned.
Pence is popular with conservative Republicans, evangelicals and the GOP establishment.
"It's no secret I'm a big fan of Mike Pence," Ryan told reporters on Thursday, according to
PBS. "I hope that he picks a good movement conservative, and clearly Mike is one of those."
"I love Mike," Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., told
Bloomberg. "He was the leader of the conservatives and I was the leader of the moderates. And we had a mutual admiration society."
"I'm trying to get to a place where I, with a clear conscience, can advocate and endorse Trump," Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa., commented to Politico. "If it's Pence, I'll have a higher level of confidence in his decisions ... Mike is pro-life, he's pro-marriage, he's pro-Constitution. He understands American history and the foundation. He believes in American exceptionalism."
Not everyone in the GOP is pleased with the choice, however. Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent told Politico: "If the objective here is to try to put the base together, I understand the decision ... If the decision was to broaden the base, then I'm not so sure that this helps."
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