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Trump Selects Indiana Governor Mike Pence as Running Mate

HeadlineJul 18, 2016

After weeks of speculation, Donald Trump has named Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.

Donald Trump: “I’ve found the leader who will help us deliver a safe society and a prosperous, really prosperous society for all Americans. Indiana Governor Mike Pence was my first choice. I’ve admired the work he’s done, especially in the state of Indiana.”

Governor Pence joined Trump on stage to accept the vice-presidential nomination. In his speech, he highlighted his conservative values.

Gov. Mike Pence: “People who know me well know I’m a pretty basic guy. I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order. Now, while I’m currently—I currently have the privilege of serving the state that I love, I’m really—I’m really just a small-town boy who grew up in southern Indiana with a big family and a cornfield in the backyard.”

Mike Pence was first elected to Congress in 2000, then was elected governor in 2012. In 2015, he signed into law the highly controversial anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which gave businesses license to discriminate against LGBT people. The law caused a nationwide backlash. Dozens of companies and professional sports teams and leagues, including the Indianapolis-headquartered NCAA, threatened to boycott Indiana. Apple CEO Tim Cook slammed the law, likening it to the Jim Crow laws of the American South. Ultimately, Pence was forced to enact a revision specifying the law does not authorize anti-LGBT discrimination. As governor, Pence also oversaw a cut in Planned Parenthood funding in the state and signed legislation, since blocked, that would have restricted abortion access statewide. He was also a co-sponsor of the bill that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

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