Mike Pence Fast Facts

By: ABC57 Staff

Posted: Jul 14, 2016 3:11 PM EDT

CNN Library

(CNN) -- Here's a look at the life of Mike Pence, governor of Indiana and a former congressman.

Personal:
Birth date: June 7, 1959

Birth place: Columbus, Indiana

Birth name: Michael Richard Pence

Father: Edward Pence, gas station owner

Mother: Nancy Pence-Fritsch

Marriage: Karen Pence (1985-present)

Children: Michael; Charlotte; Audrey

Education: Hanover College (Indiana), B.A., 1981; Indiana University School of Law, J.D., 1986

Religion: Evangelical Christian

Other Facts:
After two early unsuccessful runs for congress, Pence wrote an essay, "Confessions of a Negative Campaigner." In the 1991 piece, he pledged not to use insulting language or air ads disparaging opponents.

Pence once hosted a talk radio show, the Mike Pence Show. The show ran from 1992 until 1999, syndicated on 18 stations in Indiana.

During the 2010 Value Voter Summit, Pence took the stage and said, "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."

Pence was a Democrat as a teen. He has said that he voted for Jimmy Carter, not Ronald Reagan, in the 1980 election.

Pence's Irish grandfather immigrated through Ellis Island in 1923.

Timeline:
1991-1993 - President of the conservative think tank, Indiana Policy Review Foundation.

2000 - Is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2nd District of Indiana.

2002 - Is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 6th District of Indiana. The district was renumbered in 2002. He is reelected in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

2009-2011 - Is the Republican Conference Chair

2012 - Is elected governor of Indiana. His campaign includes a grassroots trek across the state called the Big Red Truck Tour.

March 26, 2015 - Pence signs a bill called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, banning local governments from intervening when businesses turn away customers for religious reasons. The law sparks concerns about discrimination, particularly within the LGBT community. After the law is passed, a wave of boycotts and petitions roil the state, with companies like Apple and organizations like the NCAA criticizing the bill and threatening to reconsider future business opportunities in Indiana.

April 2, 2015 - Pence signs a new version of the bill that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.