Rep. Mike Pence
Mike Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, graduated from Hanover College in 1981 and earned his Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Indiana University School of Law in 1986.
Following graduation from law school, Congressman Pence ran for Congress in 1988 and 1990. In 1991, Pence was named president of a conservative state think tank based in Fort Wayne known as the Indiana Policy Review Foundation.
In 1992, Pence started a career in radio broadcasting and, two years later, Network Indiana syndicated his show statewide. The Mike Pence Show aired weekdays on 18 radio stations. Pence also hosted a Sunday morning political television show in Indianapolis from 1995 to 1999.
Mike and his wife Karen have three children and reside in Columbus, Indiana. The Pence family lives in Arlington, Virginia, while Congress is in session.
Mike describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."
Congressman Pence was elected to Congress in November 2000 and was re-elected to represent the Sixth Congressional District, encompassing much of the eastern half of Indiana, for a fifth term in 2008. In November of 2008, he was elected to serve as Chairman of the House Republican Conference.
Committees
Congressman Mike Pence is a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. He also serves as Ranking Member on the Select Committee to Investigate the Voting Irregularities of August 2, 2007.
At the start of the 110th Congress, Pence was selected to serve as Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Pence traveled to visit troops serving in Iraq in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. He also led congressional delegations to Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan. A strong supporter of Israel, Congressman Pence visited Israel in 2004, and he has authored amendments to protect Israel’s right to build a security fence in disputed territories as well as cut off American funding of organizations supporting Palestinian terrorist organizations.
Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Pence was appointed to the Judiciary Committee, where he serves on the Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties and the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property. In his time on the Judiciary Committee, Pence participated in drafting the Patriot Act and legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security. During the last Congress Pence developed a comprehensive immigration solution involving a no-amnesty guest worker proposal.
Legislation
During the 108th Congress, Pence authored the Truth in Domain Names Act, which President Bush signed into law as part of historic child protection legislation. The law will punish those who use misleading domain names to attract children to sexually explicit Internet sites and it has already been employed by federal prosecutors to clean up the Internet.
In the 109th Congress, Pence authored two bipartisan measures to advance the principles of freedom in the press and American politics. The Free Flow of Information Act (or “Federal Media Shield”) would establish statutory protections for reporters under federal law. Pence plans to re-introduce this important piece of legislation in the 110th Congress.
In addition, Pence is author of the 527 Fairness Act would strengthen political parties and free speech rights by bringing changes to campaign finance law.
As a member of the Agriculture Committee, Pence participated in drafting the 2002 Farm Bill. He has worked closely with Senator Richard Lugar to advance the vision of Freedom to Farm and is the author of the Farm Flexibility Act (or "Farm Flex"), which would give American farmers freedom to diversify their crops without fear of excessive penalties.
Conservative Leader
During the 109th Congress, Congressman Pence served as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee. The Republican Study Committee is the largest caucus in the House of Representatives; membership grew to 110 House Republicans under his leadership, and has been the leading voice for advancing conservative social and economic issues in Congress since the mid-1980s.
Congressman Pence has emerged as a national spokesman for conservative principles. In March of 2005, The Washington Post described Pence as "A New Face on Conservatism" observing, “he delivered conservative opinions with the even tones and polite demeanor of his Midwest upbringing.” In November 2005, Business Week described Pence as a "new power broker" and syndicated columnist George Will singled out Pence and Governor Mitch Daniels’ brand of conservatism as the “wave of the future." Peggy Noonan has complimented Pence on his ability to maintain an upbeat attitude even in a partisan environment, quoting him as saying “I’m a conservative, but I’m not in a bad mood about it.” An April 2006 profile in U.S. News and World Report said Pence "has emerged as a powerful force, moving Congress further to the right."
Pence’s role as a conservative leader has been profiled in The Chicago Tribune, Business Week, the Weekly Standard, U.S. News and World Report and The New York Times. He appears regularly on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Pence also appears weekly on Indiana's most prominent talk radio stations.
Awards
Congressman Pence has received many national and local awards during his time in Congress.
In November of 2007, Congressman Pence was named one of the top 100 most influential conservatives in America, coming in at nineteen according to the London Daily Telegraph.
On Martin Luther King Day in January 2007, he was honored with the Duerson Award during a ceremony in Muncie. The award is named for former Chicago Bear and Muncie native Dave Duerson's parents and is given for extraordinary commitment to the community.
The ACU honored Congressman Pence in 2006 with the Courage Under Fire Award, which recognizes those who have stood for principle when doing so puts them at risk physically, politically or economically. Past recipients include Charlton Heston, Wayne LaPierre, Ambassador John Bolton and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
In 2005, Congressman Pence was named "Man of the Year" by the leading conservative publication Human Events for his leadership on behalf of fiscal discipline. Previous honorees include President Ronald Reagan and the late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia.
He was also awarded the Friend of the Family Award by the Indiana Family Institute. In addition, he was recognized by the Inland Press Association for his work in advocating for the Freedom of Information Act, or federal media shield law.
For the past four years, he has received the "True Blue Award" from the Family Research Council for his commitment to the family and sanctity of human life and for the past five years, Congressman Pence has received the "Tax Payers' Friend" award from the National Taxpayers' Union for his commitment to advocating for responsible tax and spending policies.
