11:54 a.m. Update
Donald Trump announced Mike Pence for his pick as Vice President in a tweet this morning, and Pence took his name off the ballot for governor ahead of the noon deadline.
The official announcement of Pence as running mate was scheduled for 11 a.m. today, but Trump postponed in the wake of a terror attack in France.
Pence's withdrawal from the gubernatorial race creates a domino effect as other Republicans vie to replace him. Some of those GOP hopefuls also had to withdraw from their positions on the ballot by the noon deadline. Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb, 5th District U.S. Representative Susan Brooks and and 4th District U.S. Representative Todd Rokita all withdrew their names, indicating they plan to run for governor.
The Indiana Republican Party's state committee has 30 days to fill the ballot vacancies.
Original Story
Indiana Governor Mike Pence is the new Republican candidate for Vice President.
Trump tweeted just before 11 a.m: "I am pleased to announce that I have chosen Governor Mike Pence as my Vice Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11:00 A.M."
Trump delayed his plans for an official vice presidential announcement in New York City today after the truck attack in southern France.
Pence has spent his entire life and career in Indiana, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for twelve years and as Governor of Indiana for four years.
On the issues, Pence has remained consistently conservative and in-line with the Republican platform. Here's where he stands:
Abortion
Pence has consistently touted anti-abortion beliefs and has supported anti-abortion legislation at both the federal and state level.
As a U.S. Representative, Pence introduced a bill that would deny federal funding to groups that perform abortions.
During the 2012 campaign for governor, Pence declared his opposition to abortion but declined to go into more detail. "I'm pro-life, I don't apoogize for it, but I think this election's about jobs and schools," Pence said in 2012.
"I'm pro-life, I don't apologize for it."
As governor in 2013, signed into law a bill that requires Indiana abortion clinics that dispense the abortion inducing drug known as RU-486 to adhere to the same physical standards as surgical abortion clinics. That includes bigger door and room sizes and surgical equipment requirements.
In 2016, Pence supported and ultimately signed a controversial bill that includes a selective ban on abortions and requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated. The ACLU challenged those portions of the law on behalf of Planned Parenthood and a federal judge in June temporarily blocked certain provisions in the legislation from taking effect as the lawsuit makes its way through court. The ACLU filed a second lawsuit that aims to strike down a portion of the law that requires women to have an ultrasound at least 18 hours before an abortion.
LGBTQ Issues
Religious Freedom Restoration Act:
"I will not support any bill that diminishes the religious freedom of Hoosiers or interferes with the constitutional rights of our citizens to live our their beliefs in worship, service or work."
Gov. Pence supported and signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, known as RFRA. The fallout from the controversial act included falling approval ratings for Pence and estimated $60 million in lost revenue in Indianapolis alone.
LGBTQ civil rights protections
State legislators introduced various bills to establish civil rights protections for members of the LGBT community. Although none made it to Pence's desk, he did express opposition to the idea.
"I will not support any bill that diminishes the religious freedom of Hoosiers or interferes with the constitutional rights of our citizens to live out their beliefs in worship, service or work," Pence said in his 2016 State of the State address in January.
Health Care
Pence is opposed to President Obama's Affordable Care Act. As a U.S. congressman, Pence advocated for repealing the ACA.
As Indiana's governor, Pence expanded a state-sponsored health care plan designed to support low-income Hoosiers. Known as HIP 2.0, the Healthy Indiana Plan is estimated to cover 350,000 Hoosiers. Earlier this year, the state legislature codified the plan into state law, meaning any future changes must go through the House and Senate.
The plan has been scrutinized by the federal government. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, evaluated the program's waiver for "non-emergency medical transportation," saying it could represent a "barrier to care" for the people enrolled in the program who miss appointments because transportation isn't covered.
Education
Pre-K is one of the biggest education issues Pence addressed during his time as governor.
He signed into law On My Way Pre-K, a pre-k pilot program offering pre-k to low income families in five counties. There was also controversy around pre-k when Pence refused up to $80 million from the federal government to expand a universal pre-k system in the state, saying he wanted to build a state program without federal assistance.
