01 November, 2016
Mike Pence is the Republican Party's vice-presidential nominee. He is the governor of the Midwestern state of Indiana.
He is a very different person from Donald Trump, the party's presidential nominee.
"People who know me well know I'm a pretty basic guy. I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order."
In the 1990s, Pence hosted a radio talk show. At that time, he spoke to Randy DeCleene about his hopes for the future and for government service. DeCleene praised Pence's message.
"The over-arching message of what he had to say was very, very positive and upbeat and inspiring."
Paul Ryan is a Republican and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He said Pence believes strongly in his faith and conservatism.
"He's a man of faith. He's a man of conviction. He's a man you can trust. He comes from the heart of the conservative movement and from the heart of America."
Pence failed the first two times he tried to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was successful on his third attempt, in 2000.
He says he does not believe government should try to solve all problems.
"We're tired of being told that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives better for us than we can plan them for ourselves."
In 2012, Pence left the U.S. House and became governor of his state. He dealt with difficult issues such as abortion, and the conflict between gay rights and religious freedom.
Pence's conservative beliefs and voting record bring balance to the Republican Party ticket. He does not support all of Trump's positions.
Gary Nordlinger teaches at George Washington University.
"The conservative branch of the party -- who's been suspicious of Donald Trump -- know that they can trust Pence. So if Trump is elected, I think Pence can be of great value in terms of dealing with members of Congress on behalf of the administration."
Pence would then have the hard task of serving as a bridge between the administration and Congress.
I'm Anne Ball.
VOA Correspondent Katherine Gypson reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her report into VOA Special English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
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Words in This Story
in that order – expression a ranking; the rank in which things are arranged (people or things); a particular way that things or events are organized in a list or series
overarching – adj. including or influencing every part of something
upbeat – adj. positive and cheerful; happy and hopeful
inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something; to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create
conviction – n. a strong belief or opinion; a strong belief or opinion
movement – n. a series of organized activities in which many people work together to do or achieve something
elite – n. the people who have the most wealth and status in a society; the most successful or powerful group of people (usually singular)
abortion – n. a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus
gay rights – n. the rights of homosexuals -- those who are sexually attracted to someone who is the same sex
branch – n. a part of a company or organization