Electoral history of Mike Pence
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Vice President of the United States
U.S. Representative
for Indiana's 2nd and 6th districts Vice presidential campaigns
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Mike Pence, the 48th vice president of the United States (2017–2021), has run for public office several times, beginning in 1988. He is a member of the Republican Party, one of two major parties in the United States. Pence represented Indiana's 2nd (2001–2003) and 6th (2003–2013) congressional districts in the United States House of Representatives, and served as the 50th Governor of Indiana (2013–2017).
Pence began political career in 1988 by challenging incumbent Democratic Representative Philip Sharp. He lost the general election in a landslide. Pence ran again in 1990; he lost to Sharp by an even larger margin. In 2000, he made his third run for Congress to replace retiring Representative David McIntosh, when he was finally elected to represent the district. He ran for reelection five times, never winning by less than 60 percent. In 2012, instead of seeking another term in the House, Pence ran in the 2012 Indiana gubernatorial election; he won the Republican nomination unopposed. He selected Sue Ellspermann a member of the Indiana House of Representatives to be his running mate. They defeated the Democratic ticket of John R. Gregg, former Speaker of the Indiana State House of Representatives, and his running mate, State Senator Vi Simpson.
In 2016, Pence, alongside Eric Holcomb, who Pence appointed Lieutenant Governor after Ellspermann's resignation, was set to run in the 2016 gubernatorial election. However, despite winning the Republican nomination, Pence withdrew from the race after Republican nominee Donald Trump selected him as his running mate in 2016 United States presidential election. Despite losing the popular vote, Trump and Pence defeated the Republican ticket of Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State, and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Their victory was considered one of the largest upsets in American politics. In the 2020 United States presidential election, Trump and Pence sought a second term, they were defeated by Democrats former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris of California. However, Trump did not concede and instead claimed fraud. Despite pressure from Trump, Pence refused to overturn the results resulting in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. In 2023, Pence ran for president, seeking the Republican nomination. However, he dropped out before the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.